Of Saints And Sinners
by PotassiumChloride
Summary: Isao Kuwabara is Shizuru and Kazuma's father. Now he's back in the picture and brings some exiting news with him...He's getting married! How will the new family members handle the crazyness that is the sibling's world? Only time will tell.
1. Chapter 1

I do not own YYH.

**Of Saints and Sinners**

A loud ringing broke the silence of the room as Kuwabara Shizuru fell off the couch she forgot she fell asleep on. Reaching for the phone from her spot on the floor, she sat up with her back against the couch and ran her fingers through her disheveled hair. A quick glance at the clock hanging above the T.V showed that it was 10:40 p.m.

"Hello?" The voice of the twenty one year old came out as a hoarse whisper.

"Shizuru dear? Its dad." The last sentence shook away all sleepiness from her mind.

"Dad? Is everything all right? Did something happen?"

"No, no darling. Everything's fine. I just wanted to check up on you and Kazuma that's all. How are you doing?"

"We're doing good. Kazuma graduated from high school and I just got a new job. Are you sure everything's alright? You sound kind of weird…"

"Yes darling, I'm sure. Look I'll be in Japan in a few days and I wondered if you wanted to get some coffee? Maybe the three of us could go out for dinner? There's something I'd like to talk to you guys about."

"Umm, I guess we could. It's been a really long time." mixed emotions ran through her mind as she though over his proposal.

"Yes, it has. I'll call you back with the details alright?"

"Sure. Bye dad."

"Bye."

She put down the receiver and stared at it for a while before picking herself up from the floor and walking into the kitchen to make her self a cup of coffee.

She and her brother lived alone for several years. Their mother passed away when Kazuma was ten and she thirteen. Obviously, that came as a shock to their little family. The car accident was all over the news for a week, their tragic story selling a healthy amount of newspapers.

Their father worked for some pharmaceutical company and slowly climbed the ladder until his position required him to spend most of his time abroad, leaving Shizuru to live alone with her baby brother at the tender age of seventeen. Of course, the situation wasn't as horrible as it sounds. She never had to work unless she wanted to because their father sent them enough money to take care of the living expenses as well as pocket money for both to do whatever they liked with. Besides, after the death of his wife he started working so hard to take care of the needs of his children it was almost as if they were living alone, so his leaving the country didn't make such a big difference in the siblings' life. For years, the relationship between them was kept through rare phone calls and rarer visits.

Shizuru was brought from her thoughts by the sound of the front door slamming and loud voices.

"Did you see how I sliced that motherfucker in half? The damned bastard tried to take a bite from my shoulder!" her younger sibling plopped himself on the couch that has been occupied by Shizuru not so long ago.

She walked into the living room, mug in hand, to see the four members of team Urameshi spread over the few pieces of furniture in the room.

"I take it you boys had fun?" she chuckled to herself as she sat down next to her brother and took a cigarette from the pack laying on the coffee table.

"Sure did. I could use a little work out and kicking the shit out of a bunch of lame demons sure does the trick." Urameshi Yusuke said in a bored tone, taking his own pack of cigarettes out of the pocket of his leather jacket.

"Hn. Those fools weren't worth the time it took us to find them." Hiei put in his two cents and got up to make his way towards the door.

"Well it's getting late. Shizuru-san it was nice seeing you, Yusuke, Kuwabara, I'll see you around." The ever-polite redhead known as Kurama amongst his friends got up from his spot in the armchair and followed behind Hiei as the exited the apartment.

"Kazuma I wanted to talk to you," Shizuru said after Yusuke has gone off to 'see if he could find someone to "play" with'.

"Sis can we do this tomorrow? I'm beat." Kuwabara said while stifling a yawn.

"Dad called."

"Huh? What did he want?" Kuwabara looked at his sister with a confused expression on his face, they haven't heard from their father for six months at the least.

"Apparently he'll be in Japan in a few days, he wants to take us out for dinner. He said that he wanted to discuss something…" Shizurus voice trailed off.

"Oh. Do you think that it has something to do with mom?" Kuwabaras voice came out barely as a whisper.

"I don't think so. I don't know why you still think they'll find the guy… They've stopped investigating a long time ago."

Kuwabara said nothing. Instead, he got up from the couch and walked towards the hallway that leads to his room.

"Oyasumi nee-chan." He said before closing the door behind himself.

Shizuru sighed and walked into her own room, turning off the lights on her way.

10:55 p.m., 'Where the hell is he?'

Short green painted nails drummed on the surface of the kitchen table. The owner of those nails was the seventeen years old Watanabe Kai, who at that moment was not a happy camper. Her boyfriend, Tatsuya, was late again. They made plans to go out clubbing that night and Kai has been waiting for him no less that half an hour. Boy was he in for it.

Just then the chorus of 'Pour some sugar on me' by Def Leopard could be heard from the somewhere near her. She looked around to see her cellphone lying on the chair next to her. To her dismay, it wasn't her boyfriend with an explanation as to why he was so late, but the only person she could never be mad at.

"Madame Antoinette's house of pleasures, how may I assist you?" she spoke into the phone with a thick French accent.

"Yes, I was wondering, are you hiring?"

The girl on the other side of the line was Kobayashi Amaya, Kai's best friend.

It took only a second for both girls to fall into a fit of giggles.

"Babe where are you?"

"I'm still waiting for Tatsuya to pick me up. I swear to god if he isn't here in the next five minutes he'll have hell to pay." Kais voice was laced with malice.

"Holy shit! Kai, Will you promise me to try and stay calm if I tell you something?"

"I'll try, but I'm not making any promises. What's wrong?"

"Well Tatsuya is here. And I think he has a slut attached to his tonsils."

"What!?" came out the furious cry. Sparks were almost flying out of Kai's grey eyes. "I'm gonna go and catch a cab. I'll see you in twenty." And with that she hung up not even waiting to hear Amaya's response.

'That ass fucking son of a bitch.' Kai made her way out of the small apartment she and her mother shared and walked out of the building complex in confident strides.

As promised, twenty minutes later she was at the entrance to the club she and her friends have made a habit out of hanging out in these past few months. The bouncer smiled at her but she walked past him and right to the bar where she knew Amaya could be found.

"Where's that bitch?" She spat at her best friend, who right now seemed angrier than she herself was, if that was possible.

"Over there." A delicate finger pointed across the room where the bleached blonde hair of an unknown female shined in the fluorescent lights.

"Hey Kai! What can a get you?" the barman yelled at her in an attempt to be heard over the loud music.

"A shot of vodka and a baseball bat." She said turning around to give him a glare.

At first, he looked at her confused, but as he followed Amaya's gaze his face turned into a stone mask.

"No problem." For a second he disappeared to the small room behind the counter and when he came back, he indeed carried a baseball bat.

When Amaya saw that, she burst out laughing. "Oh that's priceless! I didn't even know you kept one back there!" turning around to look at her very angry and hurt friend she said in a softer voice "Honey, you want me to go over there and break his knees?"

Kai shook her head, reached over to the shot glass infront of her, and threw it back. Taking a deep breath she pushed herself off the counter and started walking to the back of the room zigzagging between the moving bodies on the dance floor.

Amaya made a move to follow her but was stopped by Toya grabbing her arm. "She's a big girl Amaya, let her do this alone." Before she even tried to free her arm he added "You can't protect her from everything."

"Ugh, fine. But if she's crying when she comes back, I'll kick your ass right after I send his to the hospital."

Kai stopped directly behind Tatsuya, who was completely engrossed in everything but screwing the girl glued to his body. Tapping on his shoulder she politely waited for him to turn his attention to her. Tatsuya turned around, looking like he was ready to yell at the person who interrupted him in the middle of a hot and heavy make out session, but that look quickly melted into one of surprise and guilt.

"Kai I-uh-I can explain! I-uh…" he stammered, quickly pushing the girl away.

"We're through." Was all Kai said before turning around and walking away from him.

"You alright?" Toya asked as Kai returned to the bar. He slid another shot her way and waited for her to drink it before refilling the glass and pouring one for himself and one for Amaya.

"C'mon, let go trash his car!" the honey blonde exclaimed nodding towards the bat still laying on the bar beside Toya.

"Trash his car? Isn't that a bit much?" Kai raised her eyebrow at her best friend.

"If you don't want to it's okay…But then can I have a little chat with him?" Toya asked, always eager for a fight and moving his head from shoulder to shoulder to work the knacks out of his neck.

Grey eyes jumped from Amaya to him, mischief lighting up in them. "Well…he earned it, right?"

"Well, actually Toya's talk could be more efficient…" Amaya began, but before she could finish her sentence Kai had the bat in one hand and Amaya's hand in the other.

"C'mon, before you suggest we hire a hit man!"

* * *

Okay so what do you guys think?

Feedback and words of wisdom will always be welcomed by me.

peace&prada

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	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Sunlight infiltrated trough the blinds and softly fell on the sleeping figure of Kai who was lying on her bed still wearing her outfit for the night before. The black mini skirt showed off her thin legs that right now were widely spread on her queen-sized bed and the baby blue tank top rode up to expose her toned midriff with a silver ring hanging off her bellybutton.

Someone was stroking her hair and that was what brought her from her, for once, dreamless sleep. Big grey eyes opened up to meet the warm brown ones that belonged to her mother.

"Ohayo princess," Sachiko cooed still stroking her daughters black tresses "Did you have fun last night?"

Kai sat up and looked down at herself to discover she still wore the same clothes and scrunched up her nose because they were reeking with cigarette smoke and alcohol from the drink someone spilled on her.

She ran her hand trough her shoulder length hair and rubbed her eyes.

"Well, I found out Tatsuya is cheating on me, but other than that everything was cool." She rested her head on her mothers shoulder missing her loving gesture.

"Oh darling, that arrogant little prick didn't deserve you anyway. No one can handle us Watanabe women!" bringing one hand up she continued to brush Kai's hair with her fingers.

"Except for Kuwabara-san." Kai giggled at her mother who laughed along with her.

"Yes, except for Isao." Planting a kiss on Kai's forehead, she got up from her bed and made her way towards the doorway. Turning around to give her daughter one more look, she said, "Don't forget that on Friday after he returns to Japan we're going out for dinner with his kids. Now I need to head off to work but I'll be home early so we can order take out and watch some movies, how does that sound?"

"Sounds good. I'll cal Amaya and tell her to come over."

Sachiko nodded and walked out of the room. Kai waited for the sound of the front door closing before standing up and making her way to the shower with a sigh.

"Hey sis, where did you put my cereal?" Kuwabara was going through the pantry in search of his sugary breakfast.

"Yeah I forgot to tell you, we're out. But you could always be a good boy and run down to the grocery store. Buy some milk while you're at it." Shizuru replied without looking up for the magazine she was reading.

Kuwabara rolled his eyes in annoyance and after grabbing some money left the apartment.

"Hey Kuwabara!" he turned around to see Yusuke walking faster to catch up with him. When Yusuke reached him, they both began walking to the grocery store across the street.

"What's up Urameshi? Got into any good fights yesterday?"

"Nah. But get this, I was walking around town last night, and I saw these two chicks smash up a car in an alley! Man, I feel bad for the bastard! Brand new car too." Yusuke said, laughing at the memory. "One had a baseball bat and she fucking destroyed the windshield and the other slashed the tires with a knife! It was kinda hot to tell you the truth."

"Wow, crazy ex-girlfriend much?" Kuwabara stated, scanning the shelves for his favorite cereal. "Were they hot?"

"Fuck yeah! Just don't tell Keiko or I'll be in for a serious beating." Yusuke added, looking around as if expecting her to pop out from behind the shelves and drag him home by the ear.

"Man you're so whipped!" Kuwabara laughed loudly pointing his finger at Yusuke.

"Oh my sweet Yukina! Will you do me the honor of tying me up and mopping the floor with me? Maybe I could lick your shoes clean too while I'm down there!" Yusuke said imitating Kuwabara voice perfectly, adding the sparkling eyes and floating hearts.

"You want a piece of me Urameshi? I will make you eat dirt!" Kuwabara yelled angrily, throwing himself at Yusuke.

As the two boys fell to the floor in the heat of the fight, both holding back their true strength of course, a loud cough was heard behind them. This diverted their attention from each other and both looked up without moving from their position on the floor.

The source of the sound was a girl who seemed to be around their age. She was probably the same height as Yusuke and had pale green eyes and long honey colored hair.

"I hate to interrupt your foreplay boys, but you're in my way." Her voice was soft but had an edge to it.

Yusuke and Kuwabara got up from the floor and moved away to let the girl pass through the aisle.

"Hey I think that's one of the girls I saw yesterday!" Yusuke said, shifting his eyes from the girls' backside to the face of his companion. "Hey Kuwabara what's up with that look?" he asked seeing the puzzlement in his friends eyes.

"You mean you didn't feel her energy? I don't think she's human." Kuwabara said still staring at the now empty aisle.

"Are you sure?"

"It was weak but it was there...youki."

"Well she's probably just a hanyou. You know Keonma would have us on the tips of our toes by now if some dangerous demon was out in Ningenkai."

"You're probably right." Kuwabara agreed. However, he was still unable to shake off the weird vibe that girl gave him.

Amaya walked in to her small one bedroom apartment and kicked off her shoes. Making her way slowly to the kitchenette, she dropped the bags full of groceries on the small table and started putting everything away into the refrigerator and the pantry.

She let her mind wander to the boys she saw in the store and the strong energy they emitted. They didn't look too dangerous, but she learned a long time ago that looks can be very deceiving. Nevertheless, she wasn't going to let that one time encounter dampen her mood. As long as this was as coincidental as it seemed to be she had nothing to worry about.

The beeping from her cell phone signaled she had a text message waiting for her. Taking the phone out of her back pocket she saw a new message from Kai.

_Yo bitch, my place eight o'clock. Bring you jammies; we're having a Disney marathon. Xoxo._

She smiled at the small screen and put the small gadget down on the table.

With nothing else to do, she tied up her waist long hair in a ponytail, popped a CD into the stereo and started cleaning out the mess her apartment was in, clearing her head of any thought.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

**Of Saints and Sinners**

Three days went by in the blink of an eye, and on Friday morning Kai and her mother were sitting in their kitchen drinking coffee surrounded by comfortable silence.

Sachiko put down her mug and her eyes shifted nervously between her daughter and the surface of the table. This was happening for the fourth time since Kai entered the room and hopped on top of the counter, finding it a better place to sit instead of a chair by the table, as well-behaved young girls usually did.

"Mom would you stop giving me those looks? You're making me nervous." Kai said fidgeting in her spot.

"I'm sorry darling. It's just that I'm really anxious about dinner tonight."

"So that's what this is all about? Mom, relax, they're gonna like you, and you're gonna fall so in-love with them that you'll adopt them and forget all abut silly little moi."

Sachiko rolled her eyes at her daughter. "Don't exaggerate bunny. But, I really hope they will like me. I don't know what I'll do if they won't." Nervously biting on her bottom lip Sachiko ran her fingers around the rim of the cup.

"Well you could always bake them a pie. And if they won't like you after that still, although I find that unimaginable, well that's their own problem. You and Kuwabara-san have been together for two years now! I don't think that he'll dump you now after asking you to marry him." Kai smiled at her mom, laughter lighting up her storm gray eyes.

Sachiko only sighed in response and stood up to put her cup in the sink.

"Bunny, I have a few errands to run. Be a dear and clean up the place a bit." She then walked out of the kitchen and after putting her shoes on left the apartment.

"Aye aye captain." Kai mumbled and finished the coffee in her cup, only to pour herself some more. "This is gonna be one long ass day."

One Placebo album and three cups of coffee later the whole apartment was sparkling clean. Smoke slowly escaped Kais mouth and nostrils, swirling in the air before being erased by the wind. Leaning against the rail of her small porch Kai followed with her eyes the strangers walking on the street below. She liked watching people like that, from high up where no one could see her unless they lifted their gaze to the third floor of her building. She took one last drag from the cigarette and was about to walk back into the house a head of bright red hair caught her attention. She couldn't make out if the person was male or female, even with her glasses on, but the way the sunlight and the gentle wind played with the silky looking locks immediately made her want to run her fingers through them. The figure took a turn and was completely out of her sight now and Kai ran her hand through her own, currently black, hair missing the length it had just over one week ago. Sighing she turned around and walked into the living room, plopping on the couch and grabbing the remote, thinking of killing time with TV.

Minamino Shuuichi was walking down the street on his way to his job at a local flower shop. Conjuring whispers from people around him every step of the way, his beauty so foreign and unusual it almost seemed inhuman.

Minamino Shuuichi was only his human name, an alias he took up after barely escaping from the Makai. Back there he was known as Youko Kurama, on infamous thief and almost a legend. Nineteen years later and he is both and neither.

The bell jingled loudly, informing everyone in the store of his arrival.

"Shuuichi-kun! How are you?" the storeowner greeted him warmly as he looked up from the bouquet he was in the middle of making.

"Ohayo gozaimazu, Toda-san." Kurama, greeted back with a gentle smile.

"There's a list of special orders on the table in the back." Toda-san informed Kurama, his attention now fully on the intricate bouquet before him.

Nodding Kurama walked into the back room, ready to deal with the flower arrangement orders that constantly flowed into the store.

He led a relatively quiet life now, living in his own apartment and working a full time job. He was even dating a girl, but only to make his mother happy. Her name was Aine and she was a nice girl from a well-off family, not that it mattered to Kurama, he had enough of his own money. His job at the store paid well enough for him to live comfortably without having to touch the money his father left for him in his will.

Looking up, his emerald eyes briefly met the calendar, reminding him that he promised he'd take Aine out for dinner tonight. He knew that she would like them to take their relationship a step forward, but he admitted to himself that even if he liked her as a person he could never have any real feelings for her, not the kind of feelings she deserved. But he stayed with her, for the sake of his mother who was getting worked up over his love life and for Aine as he could sense how fast she was falling for him, not wanting to break her heart.

He couldn't believe how cowardly he was acting, after facing so many dangerous enemies and almost losing his life more times than he could count, he was afraid to break up with a girl he's only been seeing for about a month. Maybe Hiei was right, maybe he was getting too soft.

Sighing, he let his thoughts drift away keeping his hands busy.

Kai sat in her room, counting the floor tiles after quickly losing interest in the T.V. Shaking her head at her own boredom she glanced at the clock reading five P.M, which left her with about two hours to get ready for the diner her mother has been so anxious about in the last few days.

Of course this was an important evening for her as well, this would the be her second time meeting Kuwabara Isao, her soon to be step father, and his kids too. She didn't know much about them but she supposed they weren't much older than her. Kai wasn't sure how much she would see them, her mother told her that they've been living without their father for a few years and had no reason to start now, but still she was about to become a part of their family and that kind of scared her.

It's been her and her mother since the day she was born. She never knew who her father was and her mother didn't bother to share any details. The only thing she guessed was that he was a foreigner because she had his eyes, according to her mother. But then again she didn't know anyone with an eye color so different than the range of brown usually seen on the streets of Japan. Amaya was a different story, both her parents were European hence the light colored hair and eyes.

Kai glanced at the picture of her and Amaya a few years ago on the beach, and smiled fondly at it.

Sighing she stood up from her bed and made her way towards the small bathroom attached to her room thinking she might as well start getting ready for the big night.

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Okay so I'll probably be doing some heavy editing in a while, but for now I'm pretty happy with this.

Please leave some reviews guys, I really want to know you opinions on the story so far.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

The Kuwabara siblings walked side by side on the busy street, surrounded by people who always seemed to be on the run.

"So…What do you think dad wants to talk about? It's been what, a year since we last saw him?" Kuwabara shot a glance at his sisters' face, trying to get some clue as to what this evening will be about from her expression.

Shizuru only shrugged. "I'm as clueless as you are baby bro."

Both halted to a stop before the entrance to the small family restaurant their father asked to meet them at.

"Well, I guess we'll find out soon enough." Kuwabara said as they entered the place.

Finding their father in the crowd wasn't hard as he and Kuwabara had the same body structure and easily stood out in a crowd. He was sitting at the head of a table set for five but he was, for now, the only occupant.

Isao stood up as soon as he noticed his children and spread his arms as if waiting to receive a hug. Shizuru walked over and embraced him shortly, without putting much feeling behind the action and Kuwabara merely shook the man's hand.

"It's so great to see you two, I've missed you both." Isao said after the three sat down at the table. Both Shizuru and Kuwabara sat on Isao's left, Shizuru right next to him and Kuwabara beside her.

Uncomfortable silence filled the spaces between them, like it always did on the rare occasions they met.

"So what did you want to talk about?" Shizuru finally said looking up to meet her fathers eyes.

"Look kids, I know I haven't been involved in your life much…" Kuwabara snorted at this and Isao lowered his gaze in shame.

Shizuru was watching both men silently. She felt the hostility radiating off her brother and for a second felt bad for their father

"The reason I wanted to take you guys out tonight is the news I have. The company transferred me back to Tokyo." Isao looked up to see his children's reaction and when he saw the looks of surprise on their faces, he carried on. "But that's not all… I've been dating a woman for the last two years and last month I asked her to marry me."

The siblings sat there in shock, not sure as to how they were supposed to react to the news their father just told them.

"Her name is Sachiko and you'll meet her tonight." Isao finished carefully.

"Wow dad, congratulations." Shizuru said, casting a sideways glance at her brother who seemed just as stunned as she was.

"Thank you dear. I really hope that now that I'm back in Japan permanently we can be a normal happy family again. I'm sure you kids will love Sachiko!" Isao sat back, happy with how smoothly that conversation went.

"Yeah, I'm sure we will." Shizuru muttered, once again exchanging glances with her younger brother, both sharing the same thought. This was going to be a very long night.

"Mama! We'll be late if you don't hurry!" Kai announced as she leaned against the doorframe of her mothers room, watching her with an amused look in her eyes.

"Just one second sweetie! I can't find my earrings!" Sachiko rummaged in a small chest that contained most of her jewelry.

"Ha!" with that triumphant yell she pulled out two silver star-shaped earrings and put them on her ears. "How do I look?" she asked, facing her daughter.

"Great. Now can we go?" Kai impatiently tapped her bare foot, wanting to leave the house.

Sachiko just rolled her eyes and grabbed a green cardigan a few shades darker than the dress she wore, following her daughter to the front door.

"Just breathe okay? Everything will be all right. It's not like his kids are going to eat you or something." Kai softly spoke to her mother who looked like one who forgot how to breathe. "Are you breathing? Good, come on." Kai grabbed her mothers arm and led her into the restaurant.

Looking around Sachiko easily found Isao and his children. She was surprised at how much his son resembled him, but something was off about how they were sitting in silence avoiding each other's eyes.

Kai saw this too and began to wonder about the kind of relationship Isao shared with his children. From what she could gather, everything was much more complicated than it seemed to be on the surface.

They slowly walked up to the table and Isao stood up to greet Sachiko, giving her a kiss on the cheek, looking happy for something to break the awkward silence.

Kai stood behind her mother, waiting to be introduced.

"Shizuru, Kazuma, this is Watanabe Sachiko, my fiancée." Isao introduced, keeping his arm around Sachiko's waist.

"Hello, it's great to meet you both. Your father talks about you constantly." Sachiko smiled sweetly. "This is my daughter Kai." She said as Kai took a step closer to the table so everyone could see her.

"Hello." She bowed slightly, putting on her well-mannered-young-lady mask. "Isao-san it's great to see you again." She turned to the senior Kuwabara man.

"Yes it's great to see you again too Kai-chan. You can drop the manners, we're all family."

Kai laughed appreciation shining in her eyes. "Great, I would probably lose my mind if I had to act like that all night." She wiped invisible sweat from her brow and sat down in the chair across the tall orange haired man.

"You didn't tell us Watanabe-san has a daughter dad." The brunette turned to her father and Kai could see from the look in her eyes that she didn't like surprises of this sort.

Isao rubbed the back of his head sheepishly but said nothing. Turning to look Kai in the eyes, she said, "Hi, I'm Shizuru. The idiot in front of you is my younger brother Kazuma."

Kai nodded at them and started messing with the folded napkin in front of her just to busy her hands with something. She felt someone's gaze on her and lifted her head to meet Kazuma's eyes; he looked as though he was trying to remember something but just couldn't quite put his finger on it. He snapped out of it a few seconds later and shook his head as if to clear it.

"No one but Shizuru calls me that. Just call me Kuwabara." He said, offering a friendly smile, which Kai returned.

Some time later, the younger occupants of the table were all busy with the food placed in front of them and the only conversation going on was the one Isao and Sachiko were having.

After finishing the last of the salad on her plate Kai felt the phone in her jeans pocket vibrating and excused herself from the table. Standing outside the restaurant, she was having a smoke and talking to Amaya.

"So, how are they?" her friend inquired.

"They seem... nice, I guess. We really didn't talk all that much. It's weird you know…Apparently Isao-san didn't tell them about me. Imagine that for a surprise."

Amaya's soft laughter reached her ears. "Yeah I'd be pretty shook up if I got a new sibling like you too. They should be thanking god that they don't know you like I do, they'd be running for the nearest border as we speak!"

"Darling you make me sound like some sort of demon." Kai exclaimed, pretending to be offended by Amaya's words.

"Well that's what you are. What was that Hayate-sensei used to call you? Satan's spawn?"

"Oh you don't know what you're talking about, I'm an angel." Kai took a long drag from her cigarette and watched the smoke as it melted in the soft summer breeze.

"So have you talked to Tatsuya?" Amaya's amusement was evident in her voice.

"Yeah...He called me all freaked out about the car and started yelling at me...So I told him that he got exactly what he deserved for trying to pass whatever that slut had to me. And I may have mentioned a knife going up his ass if he'll ever as much as breathe in my direction again." Kai added a humorous tone to her voice, hoping Amaya would buy it.

"That's my girl. Don't over think it like you usually do, he just didn't know how to handle a girl like you." Amaya's sympathetic voice told Kai that she knew how much it hurt her, no matter how much she tried to hide it behind cynical remarks.

"Yeah what ever... "

"Hey, got a light?" a voice that came from behind her made Kai jump. Turning around she came face to face with Shizuru.

"Yeah, sure." She said as she handed her a lighter. "Babe I'll call you back when I get home okay?" she then said, this time to her friend on the other side of the line.

"Sure. Oh, by the way, one of the waitresses in the café left so I told the boss you're free to start next Sunday. You're welcome, bye."

"Bye." Kai said before hanging up.

"Aren't you a bit too young to be smoking?" Shizuru asked after a few minutes of silence.

"Nah, I've been smoking since I was fifteen…" Kai answered nonchalantly.

"How old are you anyway?"

"Seventeen. You?"

"Twenty one. So you're only a year younger than Kazuma. That's cool." Shizuru said before dropping the cigarette butt on the floor and stepping on it.

"I guess." Kai responded and mimicked Shizuru's action.

"Lets head back in, they were just about to order dessert." Shizuru said before heading back into the building.

Kai followed her in thinking that having Shizuru as an older sister probably wouldn't be all that bad.

* * *

Well here ya go a new update.

Time on my hands, thank you so much for the review, it gave me the motivation I needed to write a new chapter.

Peace.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

A black Toyota smoothly made its way through the busy streets of Tokyo. The driver was a handsome male with bright red hair, next to him in the passenger seat was a pretty girl with red tinted brown hair.

"So, how was your day?" the girl, Fujiwara Aine asked her boyfriend.

"Fine. Yours?" Kurama, or Shuuichi, depends on one's connection to him, answered without taking his eyes off the road.

Tonight was the night. After dinner, he would gently explain to Aine that their relationship wouldn't work. He could do this; he has already turned hundreds of willing girls down during his human life and even more during his previous life. He just couldn't stay with Aine because he didn't want to hurt her and disappoint his mother.

"Baby you've been so quiet today. Is everything alright?" Aine asked eyeing the man next to her apprehensively. He was quieter than usual, and though never a man of many words, his silence and nervousness made a light bulb light up in her hopeless romantic female mind. He wasn't about to… was he?

"It's nothing. I just had a lot to think about today…" Kurama said, not noticing the pair of hopeful brown eyes that were shining at his from the passenger seat.

Twenty minutes later, when the couple walked into the restaurant a booming voice echoed through the place.

"Hey Ku- Shuuichi!" turning their heads the saw a tall orange-haired man waving his arms enthusiastically.

"Shuuichi who is that?" Aine asked, eyeing the man and the people who sat with him at the table, one older man and three women of different ages.

"He's a friend. Would you mind if I went over there for a few seconds to say hello?"

"Of course not. I'll get us a table." Aine nodded at him.

She watched Shuuichi's back as he approached the somewhat foolish looking man and greeted him.

"Hey man, how's it going?" Kuwabara happily shook his friend's hand. "Is that the girlfriend you've been hiding from us?" he asked, giving the girl a good up and down look. "She's cute." He finally determined.

"Hiding is a stretch…Hello Shizuru-san, how are you doing?" Kurama nodded at the brunette. Turning to the rest of the table's occupants he introduced himself "Hello, I'm Minamino Shuuichi."

Isao quickly took the job of introducing everyone upon himself. "It's nice to meet you Shuuichi-kun. I'm Isao, Kazuma's and Shizuru's father. This is my fiancée Watanabe Sachiko, and her daughter Kai." The last two mentioned nodded at the handsome young man.

"It was a pleasure meeting you all. Now if you excuse me I must go back to my date…" Kurama began when he felt a small hand on his back.

"Darling I just walked over to tell you that there are no more tables left, they gave our table to an older couple a few minutes we go and find another restaurant?" Aine who appeared at Kurama's side told him softly, with disappointment playing its notes on her voice.

"Oh why don't you two join us?" Isao offered with a friendly smile. "I would love to get to know my son's friends." He added.

"We couldn't, you've already finished your meal we wouldn't want to keep you here." Kurama politely tried to decline the invitation.

"Nonsense! I'm actually still hungry, and I'm sure Kazuma is too." Isao said while patting his stomach, as if to emphasize the point.

"You know what, actually I could still eat!" Kuwabara exclaimed after thinking about it for a few seconds.

Kurama laughed at his friend and Shizuru hid her face in the palm of her hand, shaking her head at her brother.

"Aine is this alright with you?" Kurama turned to his date.

Aine looked over the people at the table, then back at Kurama, and nodded, smiling. "Sure! I finally get to meet one of your friends, how could I say no?" and turning back to the table she bowed slightly "Hello everyone, my name is Fujiwara Aine. It's very nice to meet you all."

"Ah! I'm Isao, these are my children, Kazuma and Shizuru and this is my fiancée Sachiko and her daughter Kai. You both can stop being so polite and formal, there's no need for it when you are among friends." Isao said, after once again introducing the people surrounding him.

Just then, a waiter walked up carrying two chairs and placing them by the table. Kurama pulled back a chair and allowed Aine to sit before he took his place beside her, on Kai's left.

Kai, who has not spoken a word since the couple's arrival was now analyzing every feature of this Minamino Shuuichi's face. It only took her a moment to realize that the bright hair she saw just this morning belonged to Kuwabara's friend. Now that she saw it up close, the urge to touch it grew stronger and she averted her eyes when they met the green gaze of her neighbor.

When the waiter came back with the menus for Aine and Kurama she turned to her mother "Would you mind ordering me a glass of wine?"

Sachiko nodded "Sure darling, actually you know what? Waiter, could you bring a bottle of red wine to the table?" she then smiled at her daughter who sent her a grateful look.

When the bottle arrived at the table, Shizuru quickly grabbed it and poured wine into everyone's glasses. When she reached Kais glass, she said, "Kai, I have a feeling that you and I will get along very well."

"Then let's drink to that!" Isao stated and raised his glass.

While everyone politely sipped from their glasses occasionally between bites of food and fragments of conversation, Shizuru and Kai shared a second bottle. Both were more than capable in holding their alcohol.

"Wow, by the way you drink someone could think we're actually blood related. You and Shizuru should start going to AA meetings together." Kuwabara sat in shock and watched the two girls as they poured glass after glass of wine down their throats.

"I can already proudly call you a sister!" Shizuru said jokingly, winking at Kai.

"Sister to the bottle maybe…" Kuwabara muttered under his breath and Shizuru smacked him on the back of his head.

"So, Shuuichi-kun, how long have and Aine been dating?" Isao said, steering the main conversation away from that particular topic.

"Six months. And we're very happy, right darling?" Aine answered for Kurama as she put her hand on top of his.

Kurama smiled, although to Kai it seemed a bit forced, and nodded.

"And you Isao-san? How long have you and Sachiko-san been seeing each other before you proposed? If you don't mind me asking…" Aine chose to start her favorite topic, weddings. She had three sisters and all three of them were already married, Aine helped planning every wedding and couldn't wait until she could start planning her own. If only the gods smiled at her, maybe tonight…

"Oh we've been together for two years now…" Isao began; glad to tell anyone their story.

"Shizuru, wanna go outside for a smoke?" Kai whispered, leaning slightly forward, giving Kuwabara a glimpse of the red lacy bra.

Kawabara immediately averted his eyes before any perverted thoughts would sprout in his mind. She was about to become his sister for Christ's sake!

"Sure."

"Aren't you a bit too young to smoke?" Aine asked. Clearly, the question was directed at Kai.

"You don't need to worry your pretty little head with my health onee-chan." Kai said in a very sweet but patronizing voice to the older girl, patting her shoulder gently on her way out of the restaurant.

Kuwabara tried to hide his snicker as he watched her and Shizuru walk out of the restaurant once again. Kurama looked over at Aine's face to see the shock clearly written on it. He, unlike Kuwabara, was a lot more successful at hiding his amusement.

Kuwabara looked over at his friend "You know, I think watching her and Yusuke interact would be freaken' hilarious!" he said, sporting a huge grin on his face.

Kurama chuckled lightly at the comment "I agree, it would be quite interesting."

Sachiko looked torn between shame for her daughter's rudeness (not that she wasn't used to it) and wanting to laugh. "I'm so sorry for my daughter's behavior. She's not usually like this… I don't know what came over her."

"Oh it's alright Sachiko-san." Aine said, though she wasn't really sure if it _was_ all right with her. "But I would love to hear more about the wedding. Actualy, I helped all three of my sisters plan their weddings, if you would like I could give you a list of flourists and caterers and such..."

"That's very sweet of you, thank you, we would like that." Sachiko smiled warmly at the girl, already liking her.

"Well that was rude of you…" Shizuru stated as she lit up her cigarette.

"Was it?" Kai laughed, red light illuminated her face as she took a deep drag. "Fucking hell, I'm so full I could just roll all the way home like a barrel." She added and patted her stomach lightly.

"I know what you mean…" Shizuru agreed.

Kai tugged at the hem of the men's shirt she was wearing and fluffed her hair, which was now styled in big messy curls. "My hair grows freakishly fast, I only cut it about a week ago and it's already shoulder length." She commented. Her hair and nails always seemed to grow at a fast rate, by next month her hair will reach the bottom of her shoulder blades.

"So how long have you two known this Minamino guy?" Kai spoke again, as Shizuru made no comments about her last statement.

"Oh about…four years I think. Why?"

"Just wondering. He's awfully pretty for a guy…" Kai blurted out.

Shizuru laughed and nodded "You should have seen him a few years ago! I thought he was a girl the first time I met him."

Both girls fell into a comfortable silence, feeling at ease with each other.

"Shall we head back in? I'm worried that Kazuma will die from all the wedding talk that must be going on in there, Ku-Shuuichi is probably bored out of his mind too, but he's too polite to say anything." Kai couldn't help but notice how Shizuru slightly stumbled before pronouncing Shuuichi's name, but didn't pay much attention to it.

"Well in that case, let's go and amuse everyone with my lack of manners and tact." Kai said before leading the way back into the restaurant.

* * *

Alright! Another chapter up!

x's & o's


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

A group of seven people stood in front of the entrance to a restaurant.

"Well this was great, we should do this again soon." The oldest male in the group said, putting his arm around his son's shoulder.

Kuwabara nodded at his father and looked over at his older sister who was exchanging phone numbers with their soon to be step sister.

"Alright so give me a call tomorrow and we'll meet up for coffee?" Shizuru said after dropping her cell phone into her purse.

"Sure thing." Kai smiled at her.

"Aine, we should be going. It was a pleasure meeting you all." Kurama bowed slightly at the older couple who now stood in a half embrace and the younger girl who stood a small distance from then next to Shizuru.

"Sachiko-san, I'll call you on Sunday to give you those numbers we talked about, I have them all in my organizer. It was a great pleasure meeting you all, I hope to see you soon." Aine said, smiling sweetly and linking her arm through the arm of her boyfriend.

The latter sighed discreetly, his annoyance seen only by his close friend, who shot him a questioning look.

"Kuwabara, I'll see you tomorrow." Kurama said as the man warmly shook his hand and gave him a look that clearly said 'we'll talk about his later'.

"Alright man, see ya. Bye Aine."

"Good night, have a safe drive home." Sachiko told the pair and turned to kiss her fiancée on his cheek, both were openly affectionate, making their children roll their eyes at them every time. The three could only be thankluf for how restrained they were in their PDA.

Kai and Shizuru only nodded at the couple and Kai turned to whisper in Shizuru's ear "Well he seems very eager to repeat this evening."

Shizuru sniggered in response and lowering her voice said, "I bet he can't wait to get rid of her. And she's the only one who can't see it, how sad."

Kai raised her eyebrow and now that the two were a good distance away said in her normal voice "Poor thing."

"Which one?"

"Shuuichi-kun. I think my mother wrecked his plans."

After a few more words were exchanged, the group split up and everyone made their way to the safety of their homes, each with his own thoughts of this evening.

Kurama's sensitive ears picked up on Kai and Shizuru's conversation as he and Aine were making their way to his car. They couldn't have been more right, he thought to himself as he held the passenger side door open for Aine.

He stayed quiet all the way to her home while she happily chatted about dinner.

"You know Shuuichi, I'm so happy I finally got to meet one of your friends. I though you would never introduce them to me!" Aine turned to him after her talking about all the ideas she had for Sachiko and Isao's wedding dragged no reaction out of the man beside her.

"Mmhm…" was the only reaction she got.

Aine sighed at how uncooperative he was being and turned to look out of her window, finally giving up on having a conversation with Shuuichi.

The car came to a stop in front of a big and expensive looking apartment complex. Aine turned once again to look at her boyfriend, who was now looking at her with a feeling she couldn't quite identify in his eyes, frustration maybe?

"You want to come up?" maybe he was mad because they met his friends and he didn't get to…

"No. Aine, do you think we could go out tomorrow, just the two of us? There is something I would like to talk to you about…"

Aine, finding it hard to hold in all of her excitement leaned over and surprised Kurama by pulling him in for a deep kiss. "Sure. Give ma a call tomorrow okay?" she said as she stepped out of the car, giggling.

Kurama only nodded and watched her as she walked into the building, waving to the doorman. He shook his head to chase away the idea of following her and pulled out of the parking spot, heading back to his own place.

Sachiko walked in to the apartment and held the door for her daughter. They kicked off the high heels they were both wearing and made their way to the kitchen for some tea.

"Well...?" Sachiko asked as she sat down by the table, hugging a mug in her hands.

"Well what?" Kai took her place across her mother.

"What did you think about them?" Sachiko nervously chewed on her bottom lip, waiting for her daughter to start cutting down their future family.

"They were nice. I really liked Shizuru! She's cool. And Kazuma…well we didn't talk all that much but he seems like a nice guy. I think we'll really get along."

Sachiko let out a breath she was holding in relief, Kai liking them was a good sign. She wasn't sure however if Kai would like the idea of living with them…But she figured it wasn't really the time to tell her about it, at least not until Isao spoke of it with his children.

"I'm glad you did."

Kai smiled at her mother, seeing how relaxed and happy she looked now, she hasn't seen her this happy in years.

"Kazuma's friend was really handsome wasn't he?" Sachiko chose to switch the subject.

"I guess... I don't know about his girlfriend, but I would feel insecure if my boyfriend was prettier than me. But I can see the appeal."

"Oh Aine is such a sweetheart!"

"But completely clueless…" Kai muttered while getting up to put her mug in the sink.

"What was that darling?" Sachiko looked at her daughter, not catching her words.

"Nothing mama." Kai smiled at her mother and left the kitchen.

Walking into her room, she closed the door behind her and sighed. After stripping down to her underwear, she pulled on a tank top and a pair of boxers she "borrowed" from Toya and grabbed her cell phone quickly dialing Amaya's number. Plopping down on her bed, she studied the bruise on her knee while waiting for her best friend to pick up the phone.

"So how bad was it?" Amaya asked without wasting time on greetings.

"Actually, it wasn't bad at all. Shizuru is cool, her brother didn't talk that much seemed kinda but I guess he didn't have too much of an opinion about what color the flower decorations should be..." Kai trailed off.

"So on first name basis already huh? You aren't gonna dump me for them are you?" Amaya feigned jealousy.

"Of course not darling! They mean nothing to me! You know I only love you!" Kai played along, sounding like a husband that tries to convince his hysteric wife he's not cheating on her with his secretary.

"Good. So when do I get to meet them?"

"I think that bringing them to meet you after the first date is a bit too soon."

"Hey it's not like they can break up with you…"

"But I want them to like me for me, not because you held them at gun point…" Kai said, getting up to take the cigarette pack out of her bag and walking over to the window sitting herself down on the thin windowsill, legs hanging over the small alley behind her building.

The soft 'click' told her that Amaya lit her cigarette and she did the same.

"Fine, have it your way. " Amaya said, and Kai could see her rolling her eyes. "I'm happy you like them." she added.

Kai furrowed her brows, something nagged her ever since she heard Minamino Shuuichi's name. That name was for some reason so familiar but she just couldn't place it, maybe Amaya knew something.

"Hey, does the name Minamino Shuuichi tell you something?" she asked.

"Minamino…" Amaya raked her brain for some kind of answer. "Not really…Why?"

"He's Kazuma's friend. He and his girlfriend bumped into us at the restaurant. It's just that I think I heard his name somewhere before and I can't remember where. It's been bugging me for a while…"

"Wait, Minamino? Wasn't that the guy from Meioh that Haruko started like, a fan club for?"

"That's it! I knew I recognized his name!"

"So tell me, is he worth all the fuss?"

"Well…I guess he is." Kai said after a moment of thought.

* * *

Alright, well that was short and sweet. Don't worry folks, the action is bubbling just beneath the surface, it'll just take a while for it to come up.

x's & o's


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

Both Kuwabara siblings were in the kitchen the morning after the dinner with their father, Shizuru making breakfast and Kuwabara waiting for her to serve it.

"Can you believe dad's getting re-married?" Kuwabara asked, playing with the tableware, lacking anything else to keep his hands busy with.

"Well yeah…I never expected him to stay alone forever after mom died. I was actually surprised it didn't happen sooner." Shizuru flipped a pancake and glanced briefly at her brother.

Kuwabara was at a loss of words. How could his sister just accept it so calmly? Their father just popping back into their lives after so many years of phone calls once in every few months and one visit a year. And not only that, but he's bringing two more people, strangers, along with him! How could she not be angry and just accept it as if it has no impact what so ever on their lives?

"He grieved mom for a long time. I think that if Sachiko-san makes him happy he should do it. He should marry her." Shizuru said as she placed a plate of pancakes in front of her brother.

"But we don't know anything about her or her daughter! He's just bringing two complete strangers into our lives and not even caring what we think about it!" He couldn't hold in what he thought anymore.

"And why do you think I took Kai's number? They're about to become family whether we like it or not, so why waste time on complaining and being suspicious about them when we can actually do something about it?" Shizuru sat across from her brother and took a fork in her hand before speaking again. "Look, dad isn't stupid. He wouldn't ask Sachiko-san to marry him on a whim, he knows what he's doing. And Kai didn't ask for this either I'm sure. Their marriage is not something we have a saying over so we should accept it and try to get to know them. They deserve a chance." After that, both ate their breakfast silently Shizuru having nothing else to say and Kuwabara partially agreeing with her.

"Well I'm out. I'll be at Genkai's." Kuwabara said after they cleared the plates and he washed the dishes.

"Alright, try not to get your ass kicked too hard little bro!" Shizuru shouted after him from her spot on the couch.

Kuwabara only mumbled incoherent words under his breath while closing the door behind himself. Shoving his hands into his pockets, he made his way outside where Yusuke was already waiting for him, or at least should have been, because when Kuwabara stepped out to the street no one was there, except for an elderly couple having a quiet argument out side the tiny bookshop across the street. Kuwabara sighed and leaned against the side of the building.

"Yusuke! You promised we'd go on a date today!" Yukimura Keiko, Urameshi Yusuke's girlfriend, was beyond pissed. This was the second time this week that her boyfriend had cancelled their date because he "had to train". She couldn't see why he and the rest of the gang trained so much when to the best of her understanding, they were already four of the strongest men in the Makai and, needless to say, in the Ningenkai.

"Keiko I'm sorry! But I promised Kuwabara I'd help him train! I promise we'll go to dinner later tonight okay? Just please don't be mad!" The Great Spirit Detective's hands were raised above his head, trying to shield himself from the smack that was probably about to land on his head in three, two, one…

To his surprise, it never came. When he finally got the courage to open his eyes, he saw Keiko looking at him with a raised eyebrow and crossed arms. After a few seconds of them just looking at each other, waiting for one of them to make some kind of move, Keiko uncrossed her arms with a sigh.

"Fine. But if you stand me up tonight I swear I won't talk to you ever again Yusuke! You hear me?" and with that the brunette turned on her heels and stomped off in the direction of her family's restaurant.

Yusuke sighed and made a mental note to leave Genkai's a little earlier today. God know the last thing he needed was another fight with Keiko. Glancing at his watch, he noticed he was already fifteen minutes late, but being too lazy to run Yusuke took his sweet time walking towards Kuwabara's apartment complex which was five block away from where he currently was.

'What…?' Was Kai's first though of the day. She stretched lazily and tried to roll over to lie on her back, but only succeeded in falling off the bed and landing ungracefully on the floor with a dull 'Thud'.

"Ow." The sheets that were wrapped around her like a cocoon muffled Kai's voice. 'Hmm… Floor…' she closed her eyed and surprisingly enough fell asleep again, this time on the floor.

The bedroom door opened softly and the creature silently made its way towards Kai's sleeping form. It stood beside her, looking at her peaceful sleeping face. It walked to the opposite side of her body where her bare right foot was sticking out of the mess of sheets. It stood there for a few seconds, considering his options now that she was sleeping so soundly, unaware of anything. Finally it stepped closer and opened its jaw as wide as it could before biting down.

"Mother-!" Kai tried to kick off her attacker, but it quickly jumped back out of her reach, only to pounce again after a few seconds "Antonio Raphael! Stop it before I rip out your teeth!" she said in a very tired voice, but still managing to sound like she meant every word.

The only response she got was an innocent 'Meow' and then some purring when the little monster ran up to her face again and started rubbing his head against hers.

"Stupid ass cat, come here you little fucker…" she lifted the corner of her blanket to let her precious Prince Tony crawl in and curl up beside her, still purring softly.

Not a minute later, her mother entered the room, hardly as silent as Tony. The closed blinds left the room in total darkness and Sachiko tripped over her own feet before reaching her daughter's bed. A wave of confusion hit her when she turned on the bedside lapm to discover her daughter missing, but she giggled softly when she followed the soft purring and saw a bundle of sheets on the floor. A bare foot was sticking out of one end and a few strands of charcoal black hair spilling out of the other. She gently shook what she presumed to be Kai's shoulder.

"Sweetheart? Are you awake? I brought Tony back." She said leaning down to lift the blanket off her daughter's head.

"Yeah mom, I've noticed that when he tried to chew off my toe." Kai said without opening her eyes. A soft mewl was heard from the delinquent in question, as if to confirm his owner's words.

"Did he now?" Sachiko laughed softly "Well come on darling, don't waste all your day sleeping. I'm going out for lunch with Isao, I'll call you later." She then said, kissing the top of Kai's head before leaving her room.

Kai didn't respond, but snuggled closer into the warmth of the cat, dozing off.

"Pour some sugar on me, in the name of love! Pour some sugar on me, c'mon fire me up!" Joe Elliot wailed from her cell phone.

Kai muttered something and felt the floor for it, angrily flipping the phone open she moaned "Whaaaat?"

"Good morning to you too sunshine!" a female who's voice she didn't recognize sarcastically said.

"Who're you?" Kai just couldn't match a face to the voice in her state.

"Oh come on don't tell me you already forgot me baby sis…"

"Shizuru?"

"The one and only. Don't tell me you're still sleeping! Girl, get your lazy butt up! It's already eleven!" Shizuru was obviously shocked at Kai's sleeping habits.

"Shuddup, I'm a vampire. Call me in like…twelve hours."

"Oh no... C'mon get up, you have half an hour before I come to your home and drag you out for breakfast in you jammies." With that, Shizuru hung up.

"Who croaked and made her boss…?" Kai quietly said to Tony, who was looking at her with questioning green eyes.

"Meow." He tilted his head to the left.

"Fine, I'm up. See?" Kai got up from her comfortable spot on the floor and dragged herself over to the bathroom to start her morning regime.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

Just as Kai put the final touches to her make up, the buzz of the intercom filled the apartment. Walking over she saw Shizuru's face on the small screen looking rather impatient. She buzzed her in and unlocked the door before going back to the vanity in her room to fix her hair.

She French braided her hair loosely, a few rogue strands escaping now and then. After securing her hair with a thin hair band, she nodded at her reflection with approval and went back to the living room just in time to see Shizuru walk in to the apartment.

"Good morning Kai-chan!" the older girl beamed at her, a bit too cheery in Kai's opinion. But then again she was three cups of coffee short in order for her to feel even somewhat human.

"Sure. So, how'd you get the address?" Kai asked, signaling Shizuru to follow her into the kitchen where a freshly made pitcher of black coffee stood.

"I called dad and he gave it to me." Shizuru said, thinking nothing of it.

Shizuru sat down as Kai poured both of them coffee and placed an ashtray in the center of the small table.

"Oh. So are you always this cheery in the mornings?" she asked as she sat down across Shizuru, placing a cigarette between her lips.

"Are you always this moody in the mornings?" Shizuru answered with a question, looking at the displeased expression on Kai's face. She took a lighter out of her pocket and slid it across the table.

"Unless I have four cups of coffee in me, yes." Kai said and slid the lighter back into the hands of its owner.

"Alright, noted." Shizuru pulled a cigarette of her own and lit it up

"So is Kazuma this bright in the mornings too?"

"Nah…The only thing he cares about in the morning is stuffing his face. That boy has the appetite of a pack of wolves."

Kai raised an eyebrow and took a sip from her coffee. "Noted. But seriously, can you stop beaming? I'm about to go blind here." Kai shielded her eyes with her hand, pretending to be blinded by Shizuru.

"If it bothers you that much, wear sunglasses." The older girl smiled "Now c'mon, let's get some breakfast." She stood up and put cup in the sink.

Kai mimicked her actions and emptied the ashtray before grabbing her oversized purse and following Shizuru out of the door, locking it behind her.

After twenty-five minutes, Yusuke was still a no-show. Kuawabra sighed and began making his way to the bus stop alone, fed up with waiting for his friend.

"Kuwabara! Wait up man!" the unmistakable voice of Urameshi reached him from a short distance.

Kuwabara stopped and turned around to see Yusuke jogging lightly in his direction.

Kuwabara's face showed his irritation. "What took you so long Urameshi?!" he shouted when Yusuke caught up to him. "I've been waiting for you almost half an hour!"

"Keiko man. Apparently I promised her we'd go out for breakfast or something…Now I have to get home earlier so I can take her for dinner."

Kuwabara rolled his eyes and they walked in silence for a while.

"So where were you yesterday? I called you but you didn't pick up."

Kuwabara glanced at Yusuke before talking "Me and Shizuru had dinner with out dad."

"Oh? You didn't tell me he's in town." Yusuke looked questioningly at Kuwabara.

"Yeah well… He's planning to move back here."

Yusuke raised both his eyebrows and looked at Kuwabara, waiting for him to continue.

"He's getting married." Kuwabara's eyes were set straight ahead of him.

"Are you serious?" Yusuke asked, dumbfounded.

"Yeah…He brought her along too. And her daughter."

"Is she hot?" Yusuke asked the first question that popped into his mind.

"Ye- That's not the point Urameshi!" Kuwabara shouted, making a move to punch Yusuke who easily dodged and put on an innocent face.

"What? It was only a question!"

"Come here you asshole!" Kuwabara chased after Yusuke who was making faces at him as he ran away laughing.

Moments later, both had decent sized bumps on their heads. "Urameshi! How can I appear infront of Yukina like that?" Kuwabara again shook his fist angrily in Yusuke's direction.

"Don't worry, if she can stand seeing your ugly ass mug as it is, a few bruises won't scare her away!"

"Urameshi I'm going to kill you!" Kuwabara growled, fire burning in his eyes.

"Oh come on, relax man!" Yusuke said and slapped the taller man on the back quite roughly.

Kuwabara 'hmp'-ed and continued walking, ignoring Yusuke this time.

"So what they're gonna turn you into Cinderella or something? Is that why you're being such a little bitch about this?"

Kuwabara sighed, not really in the mood to talk about his future stepmother and sister.

"No. They're not like that…I think." He muttered, looking sideways.

"So…?"

"So what?"

"So why are you PMSing?" Yusuke in his not so gentle, to say the least, way was trying to find out what bugged his friend so much.

"I don't know…It's just weird you know. They're strangers. Besides, Shizuru and I have our own life already and we built it without his help. So why does he think he can just waltz back into out life and everything will be normal?"

"You know…I thought that after all these years of knowing Kurama some of his brains will rub off on you, but Hiei's right, you are a complete idiot." Yusuke said in disbelief.

"What do you know?" Kuwabara spat back at him bitterly.

"I know your sob story about how you had to grow up without you dad, big fucking whoop. I grew up without my father. Hiei grew up without parents, hell he was tossed off a fucking cloud as a baby! Do you see us whining about it?

You told me yourself that your dad worked his ass off for you and Shizuru so you wouldn't have to worry about bills, rent, and all that crap. Without him, you wouldn't have had a life to build in the first place, so why don't you let the man be happy?

Grow the fuck up Kuwabara. Be glad he wants you in his life."

Kuwabara didn't notice his feet stopped moving until they were a few feet away from the bus stop where Yusuke sat down and lit up a cigarette.

Hearing Yusuke this serious was a rare thing. Now, after being lectured by him, Kuwabara felt the bitterness leave him. Instead, he felt like he was a little boy scolded for not sharing his toys with the other kids.

The bus slowly came to a stop and Yusuke stood infront of the open door, the driver throwing him an impatient look.

"Kuwabara! Are you coming or not?" Yusuke shouted at him.

Kuwabara's head snapped up and he quickly ran up to the bus and followed Yusuke as he got on it.

When Kuwabara opened his mouth to say something Yusuke immediately cut him off "Just be glad it's me and not Genkai you're talking to. That hag would've literally beat some sense into you." His seriousness now forgotten, Yusuke grinned at his friend.

Shizuru and Kai sat outside a small stylish café down town, waiting for the waiter to return with their orders. It was a warm and sunny day, fitting of June, and the streets were filled with shoppers and tourists.

"So, favorite color?" Shizuru asked after a few moments of silence.

"What? Oh, green. Yours?" Kai said, at fist not understanding what she was asked because she was too busy studying the passer bys.

"Blue. Birthday?"

"August 5th. Whats with the questions?" Kai asked before nodding her thanks to the waiter that stared at her, doe eyed, while placing the vegetable omlette and a pitcher of ice tea in front of her.

"Well I figured that instead of us waiting for these things to come up on their own, we can just get it over with now…Single?" Shizuru picked up her fork and took a bite from her salad.

"How…practical." Kai mused aloud. "Yeah, I broke up with my boyfriend a few days ago. Caught the bastard fooling around with some slut…probably wasn't the first time too." She sneered.

"Oh."

"It's okay, I'm over it. I got my revenge." Kai chuckled, remembering the call she got the day after from a very angry and close to hysterics Tatsuya.

"Alright… So, any pets?" Shizuru asked, instantly changing the subject.

"A cat, Tony. What about you?" Kai only finished about half of her omlette, but already felt full as she leaned back in her chair, making herself a little more comfortable.

"September 9th, single, Kazuma's cat." Shizuru answered her own questions all at once.

Kai nodded and called the waiter. "I'm done with this. Could you bring me some coffee? Black, domo."

The waiter nodded and walked away from their table with her unfinished meal.

"He was checking you out." Shizuru stated when the young man walked back into the café.

Kai made a face and Shizuru laughed at her disgusted manner.

The waiter returned and smiled at Kai with as much charm as he could muster up while serving her, lingering by the table a second too long. Kai stared at him blank faced and Shizuru still laughed as he quickly walked away with a blush on his face.

"Ugh, shut up." Kai said while chucking a sugar packet at Shizuru and missing. Shizuru in return snorted at her failure and Kai rolled her eyes at her immaturity. "Aren't you supposed to be the grown up?"

"Says who?" Shizuru pocked her tongue out at Kai.

"Oh I don't know…common sense?" Kai said jokingly.

"Fuck that." Shizuru grinned back at her.

Amaya stepped out of the shower and walked back to her room quickly, trying not to slip. She had barely forty minutes to get to work

Walking into the room, she pulled on a pair of underwear she had laid out on her bed and sat down grabbing her vanilla scented body lotion.

Fifteen minutes later, she was fully dressed and made up. She was just about to blow-dry her hair when she noticed the very colorful bird sitting on her windowsill looking at her impatiently. Amaya sighed. Well I guess it's about time, she thought.

With a small flick of her finger, the window opened, allowing the bird to fly in. It landed on a bookshelf across the room and Amaya approached it, hand on her hips, waiting for it to deliver its message. For a while, the two studied each other with equally intelligent eyes.

Then the bird opened its beak and with a very human voice said "Inagawa Amaya-san, Makoto-sama requests your presence on the seventh of July with a full report.

Also, your parents give you their regards. You mother asks about your health and requests that you give the matter she spoke of more thought." The bird cocked its head to the side, waiting for Amaya's answer.

Amaya pinched the bridge of her nose, taking a few deep breaths before responding. "Please tell Makoto-sama I gladly accept his request. As for my parents, I am well and my mother already has my answer. Also, please tell my sister that I am expecting her visit as we agreed. That is all, domo arigato."

The messenger nodded curtly and flew out of the window, quickly disappearing from Amaya's sight. The girl sighed and went back to what she was about to do before the stupid bird interrupted her.

Biting her lip lightly she thought of the rumors she heard about Makoto-sama's health the last time she's been home. But that's what they were, rumors spread by ladies having nothing more to do but to fill the air with silly lies. Yes, she decided, they're only rumors.

Her eyes landed on the framed picture of her and Kai that stood on the vanity, and she smiled softly at it before walking out of the room.

* * *

Well, this one was a bit longer than usual I think.

x's&o's


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

The temple and its surroundings were quiet, out on the grounds birds were chirping happily, hopping around and showering in the dust.

Kurama and Genkai were both sitting Indian style on the wide veranda facing the training grounds, sipping tea. Hiei was hidden in the branches of a nearby tree, his back against the tree trunk and his eyes closed.

A loud crash followed by louder cursing broke the peace.

"Finally." Genkai muttered under her breath.

Yusuke, followed by a slightly bruised and fuming Kuwabara came into view.

"Took you long enough dimwit." The old master spat at her student who completely ignored her words and moved to sit next to Kurama.

"Hello Yusuke." The redhead calmly greeted with a faint smile on his lips.

"Hey man. 'Sup Hiei?" Yusuke seemed to be in a good mood. "I'm ditching you guys early today. I need to take Keiko out or you'll be attending my second funeral soon enough."

Kurama raised his eyebrow and then looked over at Kuwabara who, after tripping over his own feet has finally dragged himself over to the veranda.

"Good morning Genkai." He nodded at the woman. "Kurama man, I'm sorry about yesterday. Didn't mean to drag you and your date into that whole dinner thing."

Kurama sighed. "It's alright, we had fun." Today would definitely be the day he'll break up with Aine.

"You're dating a girl Kurama? And here I was beginning to question your sexuality…" Yusuke said, slapping Kurama's shoulder.

"Yes Yusuke, I'm dating a girl." The redhead said, shrugging Yusuke's hand off his shoulder. "Not for long though." He then added quietly to himself.

"So you're finally getting rid of the woman?" Hiei jumped down from the tree, landing gracefully in front of the veranda.

"Yes." Kurama nodded, relief washing over his mind from the thought.

"Really? She's nice though…" Kuwabara said with a glint of curiosity in his eyes.

"Yes, but she's not someone I can see in my future."

"Is she a nice fuck at least?" Yusuke wiggled his eyebrows at Kurama.

"I'm not about to discuss my sex life with you Yusuke." Kurama was never the 'kiss-and-tell' type, too bad Yusuke couldn't seem to understand that.

"Aw come on! We're all friends here." The perverted grin never left Yusuke's face.

"Detective, you dragged us all here to train, not to discuss the fox's sex life." Hiei was beginning to lose his patience, it was about time they stopped with the girl talk. "And the lack of yours." He then added with a smirk.

"Hiei is right. Stop slacking." Genkai gave them all a look that clearly meant some physical pain. "Why don't you start with two hundred laps around the grounds?" she added with a sadistic smile.

Yusuke and Kuwabara's jaws hit the floor.

"Well? What are you waiting for?" She barked at them as the boys took off running, breathing in the dust Hiei left behind him.

"And when we realized that we didn't have enough money to cover the bill, Amaya flashed the bartender and we ran out of the bar while the fool was still in shock!" Kai finished her story, cracking up as she remembered the guy's face.

After leaving the café she and Shizuru headed over to Shizuru's place and shared stories over a cup of coffee (in Kai's case about four of them.). Both had plenty of those to share. While Kai's were mostly of all the crazy situations she and Amaya apparently had a knack for getting in to, Shizuru's involved every stupid thing Kuwabara has ever said or done.

Shizuru was laughing and clutching her stomach "That Amaya chick sound like one hell of a girl."

"Wait 'till you meet her. It'll either be the best or the worst day of you life." Kai replied, grinning. Amaya was a bit intense at times and not everyone could relate to her. "You should really go out with us some time, the one thing I can guarantee is that you'll never be bored." Kai offered. She was really beginning to like the older girl as they got to know each other more. They had a lot in common, besides their obvious love for liquor. They had the same taste in movies and both were independent and hardheaded. And after a small review of their dating habits, both made the worst choices when it came to whom they should date.

"Sounds great!" Shizuru said, getting up. "Want some more coffee? Or should I cut you off before you start bouncing off the walls?"

"Another cup would be great." Kai smiled at her host.

Shizuru only shook her head, a smile on her face, as she took Kai's cup and headed over to the kitchen. When she returned, Kai was elbow deep in her purse, trying to find the other pack of cigarettes that was supposed to be there. With a small 'Aha!' and a triumphant smile, she placed a brand new pack of Marlboro lights on the table and threw the bag back to the floor by her feet.

"Here you go." Shizuru placed the cup on the table and took her place across Kai on the couch.

"Thanks." Kai muttered as she lit another cigarette and filled the air around her with swirling smoke.

Both girls stayed silent for a few minutes, just observing each other.

"This is gonna take a while to get used to, huh?" Shizuru finally spoke up.

Kai raised her eyebrow in a silent question and Shizuru sighed. "You know the whole family thing…"

"Oh." Kai looked down at her hands for a second before speaking. "Yeah, I guess… You know, all this big happy family thing is unfamiliar territory for me. I mean, Amaya is like a sister to me, but it's been just my mom and me for almost eighteen years. So I don't really know how this whole thing is supposed to work."

"What about your father?"

"Never met him. Mom wouldn't even tell me his name, makes me wonder if she knows it herself." A bitter undertone seeped beneath Kai's words. She bit her lip before raising her eyes to meet Shizuru's with an uneasy look. She really didn't think that this subject would come up so quickly, but it would've floated to the surface eventually, and maybe it would be better to just get it over with.

Shizuru held Kai's gaze with her own before clearing her throat. "Kazuma and I…We lost our mother when I was thirteen. She died in a car crash, it was a hit and run." She said in a low voice.

"I'm sorry…" Kai trailed off.

Shizuru nodded at her, a ghost of a smile on her lips.

"Did they find the other driver?"

"No…Kazuma still hopes they will though."

"And you?"

"I figure it's pretty hopeless after all those years." Shizuru said with a small sigh.

Kai nodded, not knowing what to say. She never lost anyone close to her to death, and the words just locked themselves up in her throat, refusing to come out.

"I…we…We don't really know how this big happy family thing works anymore too. But I think we'll figure it out eventually." Shizuru smiled gently at the younger girl she already accepted as family. All that's left now is for Kazuma to do the same, she thought.

* * *

Alright another chapter out. Took me a while, mainly because I was lazy, but here it is.

Thanks for reading, x's&o's


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

Yusuke and Hiei stood facing each other on parallel sides of the field, sizing each other up before either made another move. Both men were breathing slightly heavier than they normally would and thin coats of sweat covered their foreheads.

"Is it me or are you getting slower shorty?" Yusuke shouted at the shorter man, a smirk fixed on his face. The adrenaline of the fight washing over him in steady waves and making the smirk on his face permanent, at least for the next couple of hours.

"Hn, watch your tongue if you don't want to lose it, detective." Hiei retorted with a smirk of his own before disappearing with a flicker of black.

Yusuke stood perfectly still, waiting for some sign to give away Hiei's location. The slight whisper of the wind by his ear gave him a millisecond to dodge, or to try, the fist that connected with his face. Spinning in place Yusuke aimed a kick at Hiei's ribs, his movements were fast but still not a match to Hiei's speed, which only got better over the years. Both men were throwing punches and kicks at each other with a speed that was impossible for the untrained eye to follow.

Genkai sat on the side of the field along with Kuwabara and Kurama, her eyes following every movement and at the moment, she didn't look too impressed. Dark brown eyes skipped from the old master, to the ex-thief to the two sparring men out on the field. Kuwabara ran Yusuke's words in his mind once again as he watched the fight between him and Hiei. In retrospective, maybe he was acting like a little bitch, as Yusuke so charmingly put it. Sachiko seemed like a very nice lady and she's been nothing but sweet to him at dinner, and not the hypocritical kind. Kai, well Kai seemed cool enough, and if his sister was determined to spend time with her and get to know her maybe he should try as well.

"Hey Kuwabara! Get you head out of your ass and get down here!" Yusuke's voice brought him out of his thoughts.

Looking back on the field, he saw him and Hiei looking a little beat up and heading in his direction, Kurama was already standing and apparently waiting for Kuwabara to join him. Kuwabara smiled, shaking his head.

"Prepare to get your ass whopped fox boy." He winked at the red head, puffing out his chest and standing up, ignoring the laughter that came from Yusuke at his words.

"Can I get you anything else master?" Amaya put on her charming smile for the costumer whose table she was waiting.

"No, thank you." The man at the table smiled back at the girl as he eyed the maid outfit she was wearing.

"Very well. Enjoy your meal!" and with that she walked away to clear the dishes from another table.

Amaya rolled her eyes as she could feel the stranger's eyes glued to her backside. If there was one down side at her job as a waitress in a maid themed café, this was it. Sighing she picked up the tray with the dirty dishes and made her way slowly in the direction of the kitchen. She thought back to her conversation with the messenger, making a mental note to write a full report for her master.

After dropping off the dirty dishes in the kitchen and grabbing herself a clean tray she went back into the dining area and as no one needed her at the moment leaned against the bar surface her gaze scanning the room slowly, studying the faces of the costumers.

"Wha'dya need sweetheart?" the girl behind the bar pushed a strand oh chestnut colored hair behind her ear and smiled at Amaya.

Amaya turned to look at the other girl and smiled back. "Nothing Jun-chan. It's kinda slow today isn't it?" she noted, now facing the girl, elbows leaning against the dark wood of the bar surface.

Kyoko stopped wiping the glass she held in her hand and set it down along with the rag she was using. Mirroring Amaya's pose, elbows against the bar and body leaning forward she looked around. "Yeah, I guess you're right. So what when's that girls you said you'd bring in instead of Jun-chan starting?"

"Tomorrow… By the way…I'm going home for a few days in two weeks, do you want me to drop something off to your family?"

"Home as in…?" Jun's eyes grew wider and Amaya only nodded to confirm the girl's thoughts.

"Oh I…I don't know…I…" the brown eyes girl stuttered lightly, looking kind of lost.

"No pressure. Let me know if you do." Amaya smiled and looked up at the sound of the bell ringing, signaling the arrival of a new costumer.

"Welcome ladies! Can I show you to your table?" she bowed slightly to the three girls standing in front of her.

The girls giggled lightly and followed. "You see Keiko-chan? I told you this place is great!" one of them whispered to the other.

The girl named Keiko nodded and smiled brightly "You're right Rin-chan!" looking around the café she added, "I'll make my boyfriend take me here next time he does something stupid. This will probably be as soon as he comes home from his "play time" with his buddies!" The three girls burst out laughing, drawing the attention most of the people in the café.

Blushing slightly they sat down at the table Amaya has lead them to and picked up the menus, trying to hide their embarrassed faces behind them.

"I'll give you time to decide on your order." Amaya said as she walked away to attend to another costumer.

This is going to be a long day. She thought.

* * *

I really have to say I'm sorry for this chapter, Inspiration has been avoiding me lately and she's refusing to answer my calls.

It's been way too long and this will be re-written, but in the meanwhile please try to enjoy this half-assed chapter!


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

After she's been dropped off at her house by Shizuru, Kai noticed an unfamiliar car at the parking spot that belonged to her and her mother's apartment. Shrugging it off as one of her mother's friends from the office, she continued to walk in to the apartment building.

"Mama?" she called out while taking off her shoes and walking in to find an empty living room.

"In the kitchen!"

Upon entering the kitchen, she found her mother by the table, bent over a ridiculous amount of papers and file holders filled with color schemes, fabric patterns, invitation samples and only God knows what else.

"Wow, you've got one hell of an operation going on here! Isn't Isao-san supposed to help you with your plans to take over the world and cover it with peach colored tablecloths and those taffeta horrors?" she asked pointing in the direction of a bridal magazine spread on the table showing two bridesmaids smiling like maniacs, dressed in sugar plum colored dresses.

Sachiko looked up shortly from the notes she was writing down on a small note pad. "Isao is very busy today. He and our real-estate agent are checking out a few apartments in Shibuya. Besides I have Aine-chan here to help me!"

As if on queue, the short chocolate haired woman walked in, cell phone in hand and a bright smile on her face. "Sachiko-san, I just talked to the florist my sister used at her wedding and I arranged a meeting on Tuesday, is that alright?" she said putting the little pink gadget aside, then realizing Kai was also present in the kitchen her smile, if possible, got wider. "Kai-chan! It's so nice to see you again! How are you?"

Kai acknowledged the woman with a small nod but never fully turned her attention away from her mother. "Wait, aren't you supposed to set a date before you get to the planning part?"

Sachiko giggled girlishly and attempted to cover her blushing face with one hand. "Well, Isao and I talked about this yesterday, and we decided that since neither of us is getting any younger there's really no point in wasting time. The wedding will be on the 25th of August!"

Slowly looking from her mother to the ever-beaming Aine, Kai searched for some clue that would tell her her mother was joking. None came.

"Two months? You've finally lost it haven't you? It's all that hairspray! I told you that stuff would fry your brain one day!" Kao exclaimed as she collapsed on one of the chairs.

The two older women laughed at Kai's words and the expression of total shock on her face.

"Mama, even I know it takes more than two months to plan a wedding! Are you planning to have it in some back yard and have all the guests walk around barefoot?!"

"Well of course not! Aine-chan here has been so sweet to volunteer to help us with all the planning and the preparations, it will be perfect!"

"And do you actually know what you're doing?" Kai turned to Aine, apprehension clear in her eyes as she scanned the girl from her head to her toes.

"Kai!" Sachiko cried out. "I'm so sorry Aine-chan! My daughter usually has more manners than she bothers to show." She added, throwing Kai a warning look.

"It's alright Sachiko-san, Kai-chan is clearly just concerned for your happiness." Aine assured her with a gentle smile. "I helped all my sisters plan their weddings, and a few of my friends too. You don't have to worry about this Kai-chan." She then added in a reassuring manner.

Giving the woman a last up-and-down look Kai sighed in defeat. "Alright, then I'll be in my room if you need me."

--

Kuwabara was holding an ice pack against his swollen left eye with an irked look on the part of his face that was visible. "Damn it Urameshi, remind me why we scheduled this training in the first place?"

"Oh c'mon, you ask this every time!" Yusuke impatiently said as he screwed the cap back on to the bottle of water.

"Well it's not like we're out of shape! We could do something fun for a change, like go to the arcade!" Kuwabara's voice picked up as he failed his arm around expressively, dropping the ice pack on the ground.

"Hn, if you weren't out of shape than you wouldn't need the ice pack." Hiei smirked at the tall man crossing his arms over his chest and leaning back against one of the poles supporting the roof of the veranda.

Not having anything smart to throw back at his teammate Kuwabara instead chose to shoot him a sharp look, which only made the other man's smirk grow wider. The steady sound of a ringing phone interrupted the stare down as both Kuwabara and Yusuke reached for their pockets before realizing the tune was not their ring tone. Raising curious eyes at Kurama who was seated a short distance away, they saw him pulling out the sleek source of the tune.

"Moshi-moshi. Ah, Aine, how are you?" was all they heard before he gracefully stood up and walked away to continue the conversation with some privacy.

"Great. How's your day with your friends going?" her delicate voice poured through the speakers to reach his sharp ears.

"Fine. Did you need something?" he said, glancing back at his friends who by now have lost all interest in him and were busy arguing over something.

"Well, actually…I was wondering if it would be alright if I cancelled our date today. I wanted to take Sachiko-san to a few places to help her decide on the caterer for her wedding." Aine's voice bubbled with excitement.

"Ah, no problem." So much for his plans for today. "I will call you tomorrow then." He said, intending to finish the conversation at that point and get back to his business.

"Actually…Tomorrow I'm taking her and Isao-san to see the ballroom my older sister used at her wedding. Rain-check?" she asked hopefully.

"Of course, call me when your schedule clears up then."

"Sure. Bye sweetie, love you!"

"Bye." Kurama pressed the end button without returning the words, as usually.

Walking back, he uncharacteristically plumped onto the ground by the wall near Hiei with what could only be described as a pout on his face.

"Something wrong man?" Kuwabara inquired, studying his friends face.

"No." Kurama pinched the bridge of his nose, irritation evident in his voice. "Your father's wedding must be very soon. Apparently, Aine is helping Sachiko-san plan it as we speak. What date did they set it to?" he quickly changed the subject and raised his eyes to look at Kuwabara's face. He raised an eyebrow at the shocked expression on it.

"What you were hoping not to invite us?" Yusuke feigned insult, putting his hand to his chest. "That hurts man, that hurt's right here." He tapped his fingers on his chest, where his heart would be.

"I didn't know they already picked a date." He muttered, explaining his reaction to the ever-curious fox whose expression, in turn, morphed into one of puzzlement.

"Ah."

The four members of the group fell silent, or in fact, three of them fell silent, as the fourth has never once opened his mouth throughout the whole conversation, not even to make a stab at his friend and the newly discovered information. The silence was broken once again, by the shrill ringing of a phone screaming out 'Highway to Hell' and Yusuke quickly answered the call following Kurama's example and taking a few paces away from his friends to answer the call only to return not even a minute later with a grin plastered all over his face.

"Turns out Keiko's ditching me to hang out with her preppy friends tonight. I say you beauty queens stop pouting and we go out and have ourselves a boys night out."

--

Honey colored locks cascaded in heavy curls down her back as emerald eyes scanned over the page of the book laying on the table. The girl looked up at the sound of rustling wings heading in her direction and moments later a messenger bird landed gracefully on the table and spoke to the girl in a very much human voice.

"Inagawa Kanaye-san, your sister has requested to inform you that all is ready and she is expecting your visit as planned."

Kanaye looked at the bird waiting for it to continue but after a few seconds, it became apparent that the short message was all it wanted to deliver.

"Thank you." She nodded with a bright smile and didn't even wait for the messenger to take off as she already ran out of the room, blowing out the candles and almost shutting the window on the birds tail with a flick of her wrist as she continued to run down the hall.

* * *

What's this? A new chapter?

Hope you're as exited as me kiddies!

x's & o's


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

Amaya walked in to the locker room of the small café with a sigh and her head down as she struggled to untie the frilly apron.

"Ahem." Someone cleared their throat making her look up and cast her glance around the room. There on the farthest bench sat a girl with long honey hair and vibrant green eyes. The two stared at each other in silence for a few seconds before Amaya stopped meddling with the ties of her apron and ran towards the woman making her laugh.

"Kanaye-nee-chan!" The two embraced for a long time until Kanaye kissed the top of her sister's head and broke the hug.

"It's been what, six months now? I'm glad to see that my little sister is a servant now." She said, raising an eyebrow at Amaya's outfit. "I thought Makoto-sama takes care of all your living expenses?"

Amaya smiled sheepishly while taking off her uniform. "But it would look kind of suspicious if I had money appearing out of nowhere. My adoptive parents are supposed to be a mechanic and a cleaning lady." Now standing in her underwear, she faced her sister with slight confusion on her face. "Wait, you were supposed to arrive tomorrow. What are you doing here now? And how did you find me here anyway?"

"So I'm not allowed to surprise you now?" Kanaye asked, sitting back down and crossing her legs in an elegant movement. "You never were that good at suppressing your youki, imouto-chan." She then nonchalantly added, looking down at her fingernails.

"What ever." Amaya muttered. "Alright I'm all done. Let's go, there are a few things we should go over before you meet anyone, but especially Kai."

The sister walked out to the street arm in arm and headed for Amaya's apartment.

--

Kai woke up with a start dropping the book in her lap on the floor. After removing her reading glasses she rubbed her eyes and focused on the clock standing on her bed stand, the digits read 21:36 and with a sigh, she got up and made her way to the bathroom to wash her face.

In the bathroom, she leaned closer to the mirror to study her face. Her fingers gently ran over the wet skin as she struggled to decide whether she liked was she saw in there or not. What was it that was so wrong with her that even that loser Tatsuya didn't want to be with her? Was she really - as he put it during their last conversation - damaged goods?

Determined not to let her self dwell on that thought, she narrowed her eyes at her reflection and left the bathroom in quick strides.

Now standing in front of her very messy closet she put her finger to her lip, trying to decide on an outfit for the night. She and Shizuru spoke earlier as Kai decided she should call her and tell her that her step-mother-to-be is as crazy as they get, and agreed that they would go out for drinks. Oddly enough, for Kai at least, there was something very natural about how they spoke to each other. The awkwardness that was in the air between them previously has disappeared and they understood each other with such ease, as if they've known each other for years.

After pulling a pair of jean shorts and a dark purple top out of the closet, she threw them on the bed and approached the stereo standing on her table. Popping in a random CD, she smiled as she immediately recognized Paul Banks' voice. Singing along quietly to 'Narc' she pulled on the chosen outfit, adding a pair of solid black thigh-highs and then moving on to do her hair and make-up.

As she straightened the messy black locks, she allowed her thoughts to float freely in her mind. Her own life was changing so fast she never even stopped to think over the events of the last week. For the first time in her life, she would know what a real family felt like- a mother, a father, siblings. But things would change, for the better or for worse they would, it is inevitable. Was she ready for that change?

She watched herself frown in the vanity mirror for a moment before unplugging the hair straightener and walking out of the room. After pulling on a pair of knee-high boots and throwing her purse over her shoulder, she headed out, her head still crawling with questions she didn't have the answers to.

--

"Kazuma!!!" Shizuru yelled as she pounded on the bathroom door. "What the hell are you doing in there that's taking you so long?"

"Calm down sis, I'm getting ready." Came his reply, slightly muffled by the door.

Getting more and more agitated by the second Shizuru kicked the door as hard as she could. "Kazuma get out of there before I knock the door down and drown you in the toilet!" just as she was about to start knocking again the door swung open and Kuwabara's face appeared before her.

"Fine, fine you hag. No wonder you're single…sheesh." Just as he was trying to walk around his fuming sister, a fist connected with the back of his head successfully knocking him down to the floor. Looking up to be greeted with a slamming door, he slowly sat up and felt the back of his head. "That's gonna hurt tomorrow." He muttered to himself as he slowly crawled back to his room.

In the bathroom, while cursing under her breath Shizuru started applying her make-up after deciding not to bother with her hair. Glancing briefly at her watch she realized she had very little time left if she didn't want to be late.

"Fuck, fuck, fuck…" as quickly as possible she did the things she considered necessary- blush, eye-liner and mascara- and ran straight past a shocked Kuwabara just as he was about to knock on the door.

"What?" she yelled from her room, where she was jumping up and down to get into her skinny jeans.

"Uh…have you seen my phone?" Kuwabara yelled back with uncertainty in his voice, afraid that she might blow up on him again.

Rolling her eyes Shizuru pulled on her shirt and walked out to the living room where Kuwabara was on all fours, looking under the couch.

"Did you check your jacket?" She asked, tapping her foot. When Kuwabara looked up at her with a puzzled face, she added "The one you wore when you went to Genkai's?"

After thinking about it for a second, Kuwabara walked up to the coat hanger and felt the pockets of the jacket. "A-ha! Thanks sis!" he said, sliding the phone into the back pocket of his jeans. "Wait, where are you going?" he asked as he watched Shizuru put on her shoes.

"Oh, Kai and I are going out for drinks. Have fun with the boy!" she waved before walking out of the apartment and slamming the door behind her, leaving a confused Kuwabara behind.

--

"So we…used to be in the same foster family…" Kanaye said slowly as she watched Amaya fix her hair.

"That's right." The latter said as she turned around to face her sister.

"Why can't you just tell her the truth?" the older girl asked, following Amaya with her eyes as she gathered her things and threw them in her purse.

"No, that's totally out of the question. She doesn't know anything about demons or the Makai, and I'd prefer if it stayed that way, for her own good." Tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, Amaya straightened up and extended her hand towards Kanaye. "Let's go, I don't want to be late."

* * *

so two chapters up in one week! *patting myself on the back*

but you guys have to let me know...do you like it? hate it? should i continue writing it or should i just give up?

well, hoped you enjoyed it!

x's&o's


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

Out on the street the music and the energy of the people inside the building could easily be felt. The bases pounded loudly and the laughter of the people standing in the long line in front of the entrance filled Shizuru's ears as she walked up, trying to spy Kai in the crowd.

Said girl was sitting on the stool behind the bouncer with a drink in hand and a cigarette planted between her lips. Just as she was about to call Shizuru she heard her name being yelled over the noise of the crowd. Looking up, she saw the older girl wave at her from a small distance as she quickly made her way over.

"Finally! What took you so long?" Kai asked, getting up from her chair and smiling at the bouncer who let Shizuru walk past him without a word, followed by angry comments from the people in line.

"Sorry, Kazuma hogged the bathroom." Shizuru moved a rebellious strand of hair from her face and followed the dark haired girl into the club.

They walked towards the empty booth in the back and sat down, Shizuru reaching for the menu while Kai worked on finishing the drink in her hands.

"So the wedding's in two months huh?" Shizuru asked as her eyes scanned over the neat rows of names like 'Murder on the Orient Express' and 'Corpse Reviver'.

"The woman lost her mind!" Kai burst out, as if she was just waiting for the subject to be brought up so she could voice her opinions to anyone willing to listen. "And she's got that Aine chick helping her too. She never stops smiling, it's so unnerving…" Just as she was about to go in to a full-blown rant Shizuru interrupted her. "Wait, Aine… Shuuichi's girlfriend Aine?" Kai nodded, lighting another cigarette and throwing a glance towards the entrance.

"Ah, finally." She said and Shizuru followed her gaze to see a tall blonde making her way to their table, followed by another blonde woman bearing some resemblance to the first.

Kai stood up to give the girl a hug and a kiss on the cheek before turning her attention to the woman with her. "Hi, I'm Kai, you must be Kanaye." She said extending her hand for the girl to shake.

"It's very nice to meet you, Amaya told me a lot about you." Kanaye said with a warm smile gracing her lips, only instead of accepting the hand shake she politely bowed, making Kai sheepishly put her hand away.

"This is Shizuru, my step-sister. Shizuru, this is Amaya, my best friend and…"

"Kanaye. Me and Amaya used to be in the same foster family." She introduced herself with another bow.

Shizuru slightly bowed back and shook hands with Amaya, before moving a little to make more room for them in their booth. She couldn't help but notice the tingling sensation of youki somewhere near her in the back of her mind and after observing the two women, she realized it was coming from Amaya. Deciding to leave the matter for now, she turned her attention to the conversation they three girls were having hoping that during the night she would have a chance to shed some light on the subject.

--

The four men of team Urameshi walked down the street, following the leader-comrade-best friend, to yet another club.

Approaching the building, Hiei allowed a small grunt of discontent escape his lips as he eyed the impossibly long line. Catching the sound three pairs of eyes turned to look at him, and then back at the direction they were facing.

"Man look at this line! We'll be stuck here forever! Let's go find another place." Kuwabara whined.

"Don't worry about it man, we'll get in in no time, trust me." Yusuke said with a confident smile.

"I have to agree with Kuwabara Yusuke." Kurama said, as Yusuke craned his neck, apparently looking for someone in the crowd. Watching the smirk grow wider on the mans face when he found what he was looking for he shook his head as Yusuke almost ran to the head of the line.

"Come on, o ye of little faith!" Yusuke yelled back at them, and the three, though still hesitant, followed.

The bouncer stood with his muscular arm folded over an equally muscular chest, watching the crowd with a hawk's eye. It was obvious that nothing short of an earthquake could move him from his stop. The frown that could've easily rivaled Hiei's brightened as he saw Yusuke approaching him.

"My, my! If it isn't the notorious Yusuke Urameshi, or is it Mr. Keiko Yukimura by now?" his laughter loud but not unpleasant, made a few people look at him in clear disbelief. Most of them hardly believed he was capable of laughing.

"Daichi, good to see you haven't lost your sense of humor." Yusuke stated dryly, making the giant of a man laugh even louder as he slapped Raizen's heir on the back.

"Oh don't get all pouty on me now." Sharp brown, with almost a red tint to them, eyes went to look at Yusuke's companions. "So this is the rest of the team huh? " He said, extending his arm towards the curious trio.

"Minamino Shuuichi." Kurama politely introduced himself first, raising an eyebrow at the abnormal strength in the man's handshake. "But I'm guessing that you would have no trouble recognizing me as Kurama."

Releasing another chuckle that thundered deep in his throat, Daichi released Kurama's hand and turned to the remaining two.

"I'm Kuwabara. Man, you're good! I didn't even notice until now." Kuwabara shook the man's hand with enthusiasm.

"Hiei." The fire demon didn't bother to extend his hand, or offer a bow, but acknowledged the man nonetheless, earning a grin.

"It's great meeting you guys. Well go on inside, have fun!" he slightly pushed Yusuke towards the door.

"Thanks man!" The foursome walked in and Daichi placed the stony expression back on his face, completely ignoring a young man's attempt to befriend him, just as he had seen the four men before him do.

Inside the club, bodies moved on the dance floor and crowded around the bar and around the tables. Yusuke and Kuwabara headed straight for the bar, Kurama and Hiei falling a few steps behind them.

"Hiei, could you at least try to enjoy this?" Kurama asked his best friend who scanned the room with suspicion in his eyes.

"Let me remind you that I was dragged here against my will fox. Do you feel that?" he asked, quickly changing the subject as his senses picked up some youki.

"Aa."

Joining the other two men at the bar Kurama guessed that Kuwabara has already noticed the same thing, judging by their expressions.

"Come on guys, let it go. We're here to have fun!" Yusuke said, or whined. "If anything happens then we're here to stop it, but for now let's party!" he downed the shot in his hands as if to emphasize his point.

"Kazuma!" the shout was barely heard over the music, but four heads still turned in the direction from which it came from. A girl with shoulder length black hair stood up from her place in a booth and waved.

"Hey who's that?" Yusuke asked curious. Looking more closely at the people occupying the booth he realized something. "Wait, isn't that Shizuru over there? What's she doing here?"

"Yeah. She's here with my step sister." Kuwabara said, putting his empty shot glass on the bar.

"Well what are we waiting for? Let's go say hello!" Yusuke grinned at him.


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

The four men approached the booth in the back of the club where the four girls sat, laughing as one of the blondes threw peanuts in the air and tried to catch them with her mouth, failing every time.

"Amaya you're such a loser!" the one with the shoulder length black hair choked out, gasping for breath.

"Oh yeah? Let's see you do it then!" the blonde retorted, crossing her arms over her chest.

Kai reached over to the small bowl and fished out a peanut, holding it so everyone could see, before tossing it in the air and throwing back her head. The nut landed in her mouth and a satisfied smirk took over her face. Amaya responded by sticking out her tongue, which made the girls laugh again.

"Oh, hey little brother. What's up guys?" Shizuru turned her attention to the small group of males standing beside the table, wiping the tears of laughter from her eyes.

"Hey Kazuma! Hi Shuuichi-kun!" Kai waved once again with enthusiasm.

"Ladies, mind if we join you?" Yusuke asked, not giving Kuwabara and Kurama a chance to respond.

"Sure!" Kai said, pushing Amaya a little to make more room. "I'm Kai by the way, and this is Amaya and this is Kanaye!" she introduces, pointing to each girl.

"I'm Yusuke." He offered her his hand to shake as he slid into the booth next to her.

"Kuwabara." The carrot top said as he sat next to his sister.

"I'm Minamino Shuuichi, it's very nice to meet you."

Hiei was too busy glaring at Amaya from his seat next to Yusuke to introduce himself. It wasn't until Yusuke elbowed him in the wrist that he tore his suspicious gaze away from her and opened his mouth. "Hn."

"What he meant to say was 'I'm Hiei'. Don't mind him he's just very antisocial." Yusuke said, glaring at him.

Hiei rolled his eyes and exchanged meaningful glances with Kurama before glaring at Amaya once more.

Amaya and Kanaye mimicked the action at the mention of the name, the same thought on their minds.

"So what brings you boys here?" Kai asked, shuffling the ice in the empty glass with a straw.

"Yusuke decided on a boy's night out." Kuwabara said, looking at his sister with a silent question in his eyes.

Shizuru nodded in response to both the statement and the question. The group sat in awkward silence for a while, Hiei shooting openly hostile looks at Amaya and cursing the detective for dragging him along. Amaya was busy with trying to figure out a way to handle the situation without Kai finding out about it, and the rest just sat there looking at each other not knowing what to say.

"So I say we do some shots." Kai, who finally had enough, suggested. Waving the waitress over she smiled sweetly at the girl before speaking. "Could you bring..." she stopped to think for a second before continuing "Sixteen tequila shots? Thank you." She smiled at the waitress again before she walked away to get her order. Looking around the table, she noticed the hesitant expression on Kurama's face. "Everyone drinks. No exceptions." She stated.

When the tray of shots arrived, the energy around the table lightened everyone thankful for the distraction from the awful quiet.

"Alright grab your shots." Kai said as she reached for the glass closest to her. "I won't hesitate to shove it down your throat." She said, eyeing Kurama who sighed and reached for a glass.

"Kampai!"

The two rounds of shots disappeared as quickly as they came and although it wasn't enough to make the unpleasant vibe go away completely, they served as a catalyst for conversation. Yusuke and Kuwabara started talking about different types of beer when Kai joined the conversation and changed the subject to drinking games. Shizuru on the other hand decided that it was time to get familiarized with Amaya, making Kurama and Hiei focus their attention on her.

"So…For how have you and Kai known each other?" she asked, leaning closer to Amaya so she could hear her answers better.

"Oh…about eleven years I think." Amaya said, throwing a nervous glance at Hiei, who was still very busy with glaring at her. "I was adopted by a couple who lived in Tokyo and Kai and Sachiko were our neighbors."

"Eleven years? That's a long time. You must know everything about each other then." Kurama said.

"We know everything we need to know." Amaya said pointedly, narrowing her eyes at the red head, not missing the implications of his question. "Kanaye, didn't you need to use the bathroom a while ago?" she turned to her sister.

"Oh, you're right. Kai you want to come with me?" she asked the younger girl, immediately getting the hint.

"Yeah, sure." The girl agreed with a smile.

Yusuke and Hiei stood up to allow the girls to pass and by the time they sat back down the faces of every person by the table lost all humor. Amaya made sure Kai and Kanaye were out of hearing range before speaking. "I get it, you all know I'm a demon, so let's cut through the small talk." She began, only to be cut off by Yusuke. "What are you doing here and how did you get in to Ningenkai?"

"What I'm doing here is not any of your fucking business, but don't worry I'm not after you. I got here the same way Daichi got here, I have an arrangement with the diaper prince. Inagawa Amaya, you can check if you don't believe me." She said, glancing in the direction of the door to check that Kai wasn't coming back just yet.

"Does Kai know?" Kuwabara asked, not really trusting the woman's words.

"No! Kai knows nothing. Leave her the fuck out of this!" Her calm demeanor quickly becoming aggressive at the mention of her best friend's name, grabbing Kuwabara's arm with the speed and force of a demon she said in a dangerously low tone. "I know you Reikai Tentei are used to having every one after your asses, but if something ever happens to Kai because she's now related to you I swear to God I _will_ kill you all even if it's the last thing I'll do." Letting go of his arm before any of them, the shortest seemed especially eager, decided to interfere she sat back in her seat and crossed her arms over her chest.

Just then, Kanaye and Kai returned and Amaya knew that the perfect timing had a lot to do with her sister's superb hearing. Instead of making Yusuke and Hiei stand up again to take their previous seats, they left Amaya stuck between Shizuru and Yusuke.

"So what were you guys talking about while we were gone?" Kai asked as she plopped down on the seat across Kurama.

"We were thinking about ordering a few more rounds." Amaya beamed at her while Shizuru and Yusuke nodded along, both were thinking that it wasn't such a bad idea.

--

Three more rounds later Kai insisted to drag the girls out to the dance floor. Kurama watched as she swayed her hips to the beat, hands high in the air and eyes closed, it seemed like nothing existed but her and the music.

"So what do you guys think?" Yusuke's voice made Kurama tear his eyes away from the girl and bring his attention back to his teammates.

"Hn. I don't trust her." Hiei's eyes were glued on the blonde, it was as if he was waiting for her to snap and start killing every damn fool in the building.

"I don't think she poses any threat Hiei." Kurama gently relayed his opinion.

"Of course not. I could kill her before she had the chance to blink."

"That's not what I meant. She knows who we are, so she would know better than to lie to us about any arrangement she may or may not have with Koenma, but perhaps it would be a good idea to ask Botan about it anyway."

"Fox boy here has a point." Yusuke said, pulling out his communicator (that thanks to the Reikai's newly founded technology department, no longer looked like a compact but like an ordinary cell phone.). "I'll go call Botan right now."

Hiei 'hmpf'ed and let Yusuke pass so he could go outside and make the call.

The three men stared after him for a while before Kuwabara broke the silence. "I think that if she wanted to hurt Kai, or anyone for that matter, she wouldn't have waited eleven years to do it. Maybe we should give her a chance…"

Before any of them had a chance to respond, Kai ran up to the table her grey eyes almost glowing with joy and her usually pale cheeks rosy from all the dancing. She grabbed Kurama and Hiei's arm as they were closest to her and pulled gently. "Come on guys, dance with us!" she pleaded Kuwabara with her eyes.

"Woman, remove your hand." Hiei said, his voice mean enough to make Kuwabara shoot a glare in his direction.

"Ignore him Kai, Hiei doesn't dance. In fact, the whole concept of 'fun' is not something he can wrap his mind around, right shrimp?" he said as he followed Kurama out of the booth.

"Hn."

"Suit yourself Mr. Sunshine." Kai shrugged and dragged Kurama after her.

"Kai, this isn't really my style." He said nodding his head towards Amaya and Kuwabara who were jumping around and screaming the lyrics of the song currently playing.

"Honestly I didn't think that going to a club was the prince's style either." She said, remembering what the girls of his fan club used to call him. "But you already did tequila shots like the rest of us commoners, so you might as well dance like us right?" she looked at him through squinted eyes, with her head tilted slightly to the side. Standing on her toes, she moved a strand of silky red hair behind his ear before whispering in it "I promise we'll stop if you hate it."

Kurama stared at the grey-eyed girl not knowing what to say and she accepted his silence as a 'yes'. Placing both his hands on her hips, she started swaying to the music observing his handsome face through half-lidded eyes. At first, he was a little tense but slowly Kurama allowed himself to relax and let his body follow the beat. The rest came to him naturally and soon enough he had no trouble keeping up with Kai as she let the music overcome her completely.

--

Yusuke walked back in to the club and was surprised to find Hiei sitting alone at the table.

"Hey where's everybody?" Yusuke asked as he sat down across him and reached for an empty glass, trying to decide if he should get another drink or not.

"Over there, making asses of themselves with the rest of the idiots." He said, looking in the direction of the dancing crowd.

Yusuke followed his gaze and sure enough, there was Kuwabara jumping up and down along with the two blondes, what was the second one's name? Kanaye? And Kurama and Kai were dancing a short distance away from them, appearing to be quite cozy.

"Fox boy's not wasting any time huh?" Yusuke said, a grin spreading from ear to ear on his face.

"Hn." Hiei could not care less for what Kurama was doing at the moment. "Did Botan have anything useful to say?"

"Ah." Yusuke said, tearing his eyes away from the couple, grin still in place. "She wasn't lying. Apparently, some dude named Makoto something called in for a favor from binky breath for one of his nieces to go to the Ningenkai for an unlimited time. She didn't tell me what for though, said it's confidential."

Hiei frowned and turned to look at the demoness in question and to his surprise, she was looking straight at him with a triumphant smile on her lips.

"So, another round?"

--

When suddenly the music changed from the quick paced reggaeton to a slow song Kai was about to pull away from Kurama. To her great surprise, he didn't let go of her hips but instead moved his hands to her waist, pulling her closer to his body. When she looked up at him questioningly, he smiled and moved his face closer to her ear, making her stomach do a few acrobatic tricks in a row.

"I promise we'll stop if you hate it." He whispered.

Kai rested her head against his chest, thankful that for the darkness concealing her blushing face. She wasn't so sure though, that the music was loud enough to cover for how loudly her heart was pounding. In fact, she thought, he could probably feel it beating against his own chest as their bodies pressed closer and they swayed gently to the music.

* * *

Well I must say that I've surprised even myself with how quickly I'm updating...

I hope you enjoyed reading this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it!

x's & o's


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15**

Leaning against the now half-empty bar Kai ran her hands in her hair, exhaling slowly.

"Hey baby, you here alone?" a voice slurred on her right.

Lifting the bottle of water to her lips, she ignored it until a hand appeared in front of her face moving up and down.

"I'm talking to yooou." The voice slurred again.

Turning her head to look at the source of the slurring she saw a man in his twenties with bleached hair that fell into his dark eyes holding on to the bar for support, the smell of alcohol was rolling off of him in strong waves that made even her crinkle her nose in disgust. Just how drunk was he?

"Wanna come over to my place?" he asked with a smile that could've been enchanting if he wasn't in his current state.

"Um, no thanks." Kai said quickly, standing up and turning to walk away.

--

"So Kuwabara's sister eh?" Yusuke asked while wiggling his eyebrows when Kurama joined him and Hiei back at the table.

"What about her?" Kurama asked raising one eyebrow, his eyes unreadable.

"Oh c'mon, I saw you putting your moves on her! I don't think that Kuwabara's gonna like you trying to get in her pants." The last statement made Hiei allow a small snort of laughter escape.

"I'm not trying to 'get in her pants' Yusuke." Kurama replied coolly before letting his eyes wander momentarily to the subject of their conversation, as she appeared to be talking to some man by the bar.

"Hey guys, whatcha talking about?" Kuwabara asked as he plopped down on the couch next to Hiei, wiping some sweat off his forehead. Following Kurama's gaze he saw a person grabbing Kai's arm just as she was about to walk away from him. His eyes narrowed as he stood up and walked in their direction in quick strides.

Grabbing the arm that was holding Kai in place he yanked it away from her violently. "What the fuck do you think you're doing?" he hissed at the man, in his peripheral vision he saw Kai staring at him in shock.

"Stay outta this bro. I'm just try'na get laid…" the guy said and stumbled back a bit, apparently having trouble standing up straight.

"That's my sister you fucking- " just as he was about to punch him he felt a pair of small hands grabbing his free arm.

"Kazuma don't." Kai said softly, pulling him back a bit. "He's completely trashed, he's not worth it. I'm okay, really." She almost begged him.

Kuwabara looked at her and then back at the man, eventually letting go of the collar of his Hawaiian shirt making him stumble and fall. Throwing one last warning look, he allowed himself to be led towards their table where the rest of the group was now sitting and watching them both with great interest.

"You okay honey?" Amaya asked as Kai neared the table, her tone laced with worry as she noticed the pale hand print on Kai's arm.

"I'm fine. You know guys maybe it's time we get out of here. I'm over this place." she answered, reaching for her purse and fishing out her cigarettes.

"I agree. Coffee maybe?" Kurama suggested standing up beside Kai who looked at him with sparkling eyes.

"That's a great idea!" she exclaimed clapping her hands and bouncing up and down.

Amaya and Shizuru shook their heads with small smiles on their faces as the rest wore looks of puzzlement on their faces.

Turning to Kuwabara Kai gave him a kiss on the cheek before smiling warmly at him. "Thanks for earlier." She said quietly before grabbing Amaya's hand and almost skipping out of the club, leaving the rest to follow their lead.

--

Small paper lamps dimly lighted the large room. A man sat cross-legged on a futon, his long gray hair pulled into a low ponytail and sharply contrasted against the navy blue of his yukata. His sharp grey eyes scanned the scroll in his hands and every now and then jumped to the picture of a little girl with black hair that lay on his sheets.

The sound of approaching steps made him roll up the scroll and hide it away along with the picture before the door slid aside to reveal another man whose raven black hair has began graying, above his eyebrows were two red circles that matched the ones on the sitting man's forehead.

"Jiro." The man in the blue yukata greeted the man.

"Hello onii-san. How are you feeling today? I'm sorry I didn't come to see you earlier, the meeting with Yomi took longer than I thought." Jiro sat cross-legged across his older brother before placing a small bottle containing some sort of green liquid between them. "Kiri-san asked me to give you this."

"Thank you. How is Yomi?" Makoto asked while moving the bottle aside and snapping his fingers.

"He wants to arrange a marriage between his son and Yuuma's youngest." Jiro said while watching the maid silently placing the tray beside Makoto and pouring tea into both cups.

"Arigato Miyu-chan." The older man thanked her and watched her leave as silently as she entered, his face wearing a thoughtful expression. "Have you told him that it wouldn't be possible? She's currently living in the Ningenkai by my orders." He said, taking a sip from his tea.

"Don't you think that eleven years are more than enough? Hoshi-san worries about her daughter constantly and you do not allow her to visit her there, nor will you tell her why you sent her to the Ningenkai in the first place. Amaya needs to come back to the Makai and fulfill her duties as a daughter and her duties to the clan."

"Her duties to me as her liege-lord come first." The finality of his words was indisputable. "Why not offer him Kazuko-chan instead? She will make a more suitable wife for Shura by far. She is obedient and quiet, does what she's asked without questions, she will accept the offer gladly. Amaya has too much temper to be the heir's wife."

Jiro lowered his head in humility. "Of course onii-san, you're absolutely right".

"How is Takeo doing?"

"He's training every day. Eventually he will become strong enough to inherit your place."

"You don't think he's strong enough yet?" Makoto asked, with a hint of uncertainty in his voice.

"I think he will be, but not quite yet. He's too young, too ignorant in the ways of the world. But, you have no reason to worry brother, you have many years before you will have to step aside and let him inherit you." Jiro bowed his head slightly before getting up. "I will leave you to yourself now Makoto. Good night." He said before closing the shoji door behind himself.

The gray haired man coughed loudly into his fist and reached for the bottle his brother has brought along, removing the cap and taking a small sip from it. The cough didn't return and Makoto wiped the sides of his mouth before taking out the scroll and spreading it before him once again. _I have less time than you think otouto._He thought to himself sadly.

--

"Are you sure you don't want a ride?" Shizuru asked Kai as the group stood by her car.

"Nah, I'll just share a cab with Amaya and Kanaye-chan." Kai smiled at the older girl while putting her arm around Amaya's shoulders.

"Alright." Shizuru said, dropping her cigarette to the pavement and stomping it out with her high-heeled sandal. "Kazuma you're coming?" she turned to her little brother who stood beside his teammates.

"Yeah." He turned to shake Yusuke and Kurama's arms, giving them the "man-hug" before nodding at Hiei. "I'll see you guys tomorrow. Bye Kai!"

Walking up to the tall man Kai gave him a small peck on the cheek. "Bye Kazuma." Turning to Shizuru, she said, "I'll give you a call tomorrow, maybe we could go out for lunch?"

"Sure. It was nice meeting you guys." She told Amaya and Kanaye. "Ja-ne!" she waved out of her window before driving away.

"So, this was fun. We should do this again sometime…" Yusuke began as the six of them stood in awkward silence for a while.

"Definitely! Well, we'll go catch that cab now." Kai said before approaching him and giving him an air kiss on the cheek, making him raise his eyebrow.

"Bye Shuuichi-kun." She said before giving the red head the same farewell. After looking at Hiei, who's eyes screamed murder, for a second she diceded to give him the same head nod she saw Kuwabara give.

"Smart girl." Yusuke snickered, making Kurama smirk.

"Au Revoir!" she turned around to yell while walking away, her arms linked with Amaya and Kanaye's.

"She's definitely not lacking in the weird department huh?" Yusuke asked, following Kurama to his car.

"She'll fit right in then." The fox said with a smile on his lips as he turned to open the driver side door.

Hiei rolled his eyes at the smile on his friends face and got in to the passenger seat, muttering to himself about dumb foxes and suspicious friends.

"What was that Hiei?" Kurama asked without taking his eyes off the road.

"Hn. Nothing, stupid fox." he muttered turning his head to the window to avoid any conversation.

* * *

My, my things are about to get exiting soon.

x's & o's


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16**

Kai sat by the kitchen table in a tank top and her underwear, slowly rubbing the sleep from her eyes with her left hand while holding on to a cup of black coffee with the right. Her head ached dully from last night's drinking but she ignored it as she took big gulps from the cup in a desperate attempt to wake up.

"Honey, what are you doing up so early?" Sachiko asked as she walked into the room, wearing her pink robe. "I thought that you and Shizuru went out last night."

Kai stifled a yawn and stared at her mother blankly for a couple of seconds before answering. "Aa. But I'm starting at that maid café 'Maya's working at today." She said while getting up to refill her cup.

"Oh! I completely forgot about that!" Sachiko froze mid action as she was about to crack an egg onto the sizzling frying pan.

"Don't worry about it." Kai said, sitting back down and starting to flip mindlessly through a bridal magazine, one of the many that still littered the kitchen table.

"So how's operation 'tie the knot' going so far? Did Aine hold a knife to some poor seamstress' throat yet?" she asked, remembering the awfully cheery brown-haired girl.

"Of course not!" Sachiko scoffed at her daughter. "We're not going dress shopping until next week!" she added, with mischief in her eyes.

Kai laughed at her mother going along with her joke as she disposed of the dirty cup in the sink. "She will snap eventually, mark my words." She said, keeping her tone light. "And then she'll probably hold Shuuichi-kun at gun point until he proposes to her."

"What are you talking about Kai?" Sachiko placed her hand on her hip and turned her body away from the stove so she could look her daughter in the eye.

"Well you know, always the bride's maid never the bride. She's planning your wedding because she can't plan her own. And you know I can smell crazy from miles away." Kai spoke while leaning one shoulder against the doorframe and crossing her arms over her chest.

"Aine-chan told me they are very much in love and that she's really in no rush to make things official." Sachiko defended the girl who so kindly offered to help her plan the wedding, seeing as she herself had no experience what so ever in the field.

"Did she stab a picture of a bride with her pen while saying that?"

"Kai that's enough." Sachiko said sternly. "Aine-chan is a very sweet girl, I would appreciate it if you stopped making fun of her!"

"I never said she wasn't! Just that…" the last sentence died in her throat. "Fine, fine." She said, rolling her eyes and standing up straight. "I'm going to take a shower and then I'm out. Don't forget to feed Tony, you know how he gets when he's hungry." Kai then turned around and left the kitchen, leaving Sachiko to finish cooking her breakfast alone.

--

Hiei sat in Kurama's kitchen, drinking his coffee with eight spoons of sugar, his normal brooding expression set firmly in its place.

"Hiei would you let it go?" Kurama said as he walked into the small but very neatly organized room. He was wearing only his pants and a towel that was wrapped around his neck to catch every drop of moisture from his recently washed long hair. "You heard it yourself, she's been in the Ningenkai for eleven years. Do you really think that if she wanted anything to do with us, she wouldn't have made her move by now?" he asked with a sigh, clearly having enough of his friend's mood.

"Hn." The usual response made the past thief roll his eyes as he poured himself a cup of coffee and sat down across the fire demon, elegantly crossing his legs.

"Why did the oaf's sister kiss you and Urameshi last night?" the raven-haired man asked, adding another spoon of sugar to his coffee.

"It's a western custom. I guess she feels comfortable enough with us to use it." Kurama said, placing his cup on the table.

"A stupid custom if you ask me." The fire demon spat. Do those foreigners have no respect for one's personal space? How irritating.

"Well, who are we to judge." Kurama as always remained true to his diplomatic nature. "Now if you still want to find out more about Amaya-san, Yusuke is planning on paying a visit to Koenma this afternoon." He stated matter of factly. He himself would have joined Yusuke to satisfy his own curiosity, but sadly, he had to take care of a few special orders that have arrived to the store, which was quickly gaining popularity, making his afternoons hectic.

"What are you going to do about the onna?" Hiei asked after the two sat in silence for a while.

"Aine? I will end things with her on the first chance I get, we were interrupted the last time. Since when did you begin to take interest in my love life?" Kurama raised an eyebrow, wandering what made Hiei ask the question.

"I'm not blind fox. I saw the same thing as the detective did last night."

"Hm." For once, Hiei and Kurama had switched the roles in the conversation, Hiei being the curios one and Kurama refusing to offer information.

The red head uncrossed his legs and stood up. "I must get ready for work now." He said, reaching for his hair to make sure it was dry. "You're welcome to stay here as long as you'd like, as always." He turned and left the room, wishing for once that Hiei would have been his typical self and stayed out of his business, especially the ones regarding his love life.

--

"So how was your night out with the boys?" Keiko asked as she scanned the inventory list for her family's restaurant with her eyes.

"Fine. We got to meet Kuwabara's new step sister." Yusuke struggled to keep the phone pressed to his shoulder as he opened the industrial steel door that kept his ramen booth safe from intruders.

"New sister? What are you talking about?" Keiko's surprised voice came from the other side of the line.

"Didn't I tell you? His dad's getting married. But check out the weird part…" he paused as he searched for his apron.

"That's not the weird part? I thought both his parents were dead!"

"Nah, his dad was just living abroad. Anyway, the weird part is that her best friend is a demon." Yusuke almost dropped the phone as Keiko's loud "what" made his left ear ring. "No need to go all friggen' banshee on me!" he yelled back, moving the phone to his other ear.

"Yusuke! What do you mean she's a demon! She could be after you or one of the guys! How the hell can you be so calm?" Keiko panicked, the inventory list now completely forgotten as she threw paranoid glances around the empty restaurant.

"Relax, I'm gonna drop by and see binky breath today and get some info. Botan wouldn't tell me anything useful."

Keiko, who was now looking out of the window for any kind of suspicious movement, sighed. "Alright. I have to open the place now. Are we still going out tonight?" she asked hopefully.

"Sure thing babe." She could just imagine Yusuke's grin as he said those words.

"I'll call you later then. I love you." She added shyly. Saying those three words aloud was still something new and slightly awkward for the couple.

"Yeah, me too." Yusuke said in a gentle voice before hanging up.

--

"Are you working today?" Shizuru walked out to the living room, brushing her hair. She was dressed in a white blouse, with the sleeves folded up to her elbows and black skinny jeans.

"Yeah." Kuwabara said while pulling on his socks. "Are you?"

Shizuru nodded and sat down by his side on the couch, placing the hairbrush on the coffee table. She stared at it for a while, lost in thought. "You don't think that Amaya's up to anything right?" she asked without lifting her gaze from the bright blue object, biting her lip softly.

Kuwabara sighed and put his hands on his knees. "Honestly…I don't know. But she doesn't seem evil, besides the death threat I mean." He furrowed his brow, thinking back to Amaya's words. "But she said that because she was trying to look out for Kai right? I would probably say the same thing if I were in her place…"

"I guess you're right." Shizuru said before standing up, her face confused. "I should probably go now." She slowly made her way to the hall, yelling out her goodbye before slamming the front door behind herself.

Kuwabara remained immobile for a few minutes and then stood up abruptly. "Yeah…I would do the same thing." He said to himself.

--

"Koenma sir?" Botan lightly knocked on the heavy wooden doors as she peeked into the office to see the prince of the afterlife asleep at his desk, surrounded by gravity and logic defying piles of paper work. With a vein popping up on her forehead, she marched into the office, making sure to slam the door as hard as possible behind herself.

The loud bang made the prince wake up with a jump and look at his fuming assistant in panic. "Botan! I was just resting my eyes for a second!" he stammered trying to find his seal in the mess of documents of his table.

Botan frowned at the mess and moved a lock of hair out of her eyes. "Maybe it's about time we started using computers here?" she lifted a small pile of documents and recovered the stamp, placing it in front of Koenma.

"Maybe you're right." He muttered. "Did you want something?" he asked, folding his arms on the table.

Botan's hands fidgeted slightly and she cleared her throat before speaking. "Well…Yusuke called me last night…" she began, unsure.

"And?"

"And…Well he wanted information about Inagawa Amaya. I didn't know what to tell him besides that she's in the Ningenkai under your authorization." She finished, deciding to take a seat in one of the armchairs across Koenma's table.

Koenma frowned. "Inagawa? Are you sure?"

"I wouldn't have been here if I wasn't sure sir." Botan nodded before leaning forward. "I think that he'll try to get the information out of you."

Koenma chewed on his binky thoughtfully. "Well he's not getting any. We have an agreement with Makoto Toranaga, there are already too many people in the know about this. If Yusuke shows up tell him I'm too busy to see him today, he'll have to give up eventually."

Botan nodded and stood up walking towards the door. With her hand on the door handle she turned around and giving Koenma a venomous glare said. "Sir, if I catch you sleeping again I will have to tell your father."

Koenma gulped and loosened the collar around his neck with a sheepish smile and a nod.

* * *

So this was the morning after.

x's & o's


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17**

The small dressing room was lighted by bright fluorescent lights, lockers were aligned against the left wall and the right wall sported a full-length mirror. Small benches were spread around the room so that in a case that all the staff of the café decided for some reason to enter the room at once, everyone would have a place to sit. Te small joined room contained two bathroom stalls and two sinks.

Amaya, already dressed in the maid uniform sat with her legs crossed on one of the benches and filed her nails. She lifted her head for a moment to see Kai standing in front of the full-length mirror in her underwear and holding the black dress that hit mid thigh to her body.

"Would you put it on already?" Amaya asked, her voice holding little patience.

Kai sighed in defeat and did as she was told, pulling the dress over her head and smoothening it against her body. The skirt of the dress was ruffled and the edge was brimmed with black lace.

Amaya picked up the white apron and black over the knee socks and threw them, bunched together at her friend. Standing up to take her cell phone out of her locker, she slipped it into a small pocket in the dress. When she turned around, Kai has already put the three items on and was stepping into the black Mary Janes.

"I knew I would look hot in this." The raven-haired girl stated as she gave her reflection an up and down.

"Come on, let's get your humble ass to work." Amaya snorted slightly with laughter before walking out of the door that led to the kitchen. "This is where you get the orders." She motioned to the far end, near the exit to the front of the café. "This is where you put the dirty dishes." She pointed to the other side of the room.

Kai nodded and fell into step with her best friend. They walked out to the front where two girls dressed in the same maid outfits were already working.

"This is Umeko." Amaya said, pointing to the girl that was folding napkins by the bar. At the mention of her name, she turned around and waved. Umeko's bright pink hair was in a messy pixie cut and her dark chocolate eyes were framed by thick black eyeliner. Kai nodded back at her and turned to look at the other girl who was currently busy with placing crispy white tablecloths on the round tables. Her long chestnut hair was in a high ponytail, straight all the way down.

"That's Jun, she's usually behind the bar." Amaya nodded in the girl's direction, and she in return smiled at them both. "Well you already know the job so that's probably it. The people here are cool so if you need some help just ask anyone. Oh, and look out for the fan boys, they usually sit at that table in the back." Amaya rolled her eyes at her own warning. "Come on, let's go polish the plates."

Kai followed, still not uttering a word, as clearly Amaya wasn't in the best mood that morning. The best way to handle her when she got like this was waiting out the storm, which was exactly what Kai intended to do. Wait out the storm and then let her come by herself.

--

Yusuke removed the hat and his apron as he was about to close the stand for his break. The morning and noon hours were especially busy, but usually business slowed down a bit when the evening hours neared, most people preferring to go home for dinner.

"I take it you're joining me?" he asked as he yanked down the door and placed a lock on it.

"Hn." Hiei was leaning against the side of the booth where there was a small alleyway, he was nonchalance at its purest form, eyes closed and arms crossed over his chest in a relaxed way.

"Alright." Yusuke said and walked into the alley, flipping his communicator open.

"Hello Yusuke!" Botan's cheery face greeted him from the small screen.

"Hey Botan, send me a portal, Hiei and I need to see Koenma." Yusuke's tone was unusually all business.

"I'm sorry, Koenma-sama is very busy today. I'm afraid he can't see you." Botan said, keeping her smile bright, but her tone regretful. "I can set a meeting for you in August for about ten minutes if you want." She waved a golden pen by her face.

Hiei growled and snatched the communicator away from Yusuke's hand.

"Cut the crap woman. Send me a fucking portal, now." He sneered, making Botan 'eep faintly with fear.

"I'm really sorry Hiei but that's im-" she began but regretted her words immediately after another glance at his angry face. "One portal coming right up!" She said in a very small voice before cutting the connection.

"Probably ran off to warn him." Hiei said, throwing the communicator back to Yusuke who caught it with ease.

Moments later a portal appeared in front of them and Yusuke looked around to make sure no one has seen them before stepping into it after Hiei.

Both stepped out of the portal and found themselves surrounded by ogres running frantically running around and yelling at each other, some were carrying piles of documents as tall as Kuwabara. Approaching the doors to Koenma's office without running into someone and causing even more chaos proved to be a harder task than they thought.

"You gotta be fucking kidding me." Yusuke muttered as he sidestepped another ogre, blinded by the papers he was carrying. "And people wonder why the rain forests are disappearing?" he asked, barely avoiding a Pizza tower of files crashing down on his head. "They should take a look at this place."

When finally arriving to the doors they were met by a nervous looking Botan. With one glare Hiei stopped her from saying what ever it was she was about to say and after Yusuke pushed the doors open, she was left standing outside with her mouth closing and opening like a fish.

Koenma lifted his head from the document he was pretending to read at the sound of the door slamming to find both men standing directly in front of his table, both wearing terribly serious expressions.

"Yusuke, Hiei! What a pleasant surprise! I'm sorry I can't offer you any tea, but I really am swamped with work right now. It was nice of you to drop by though, make sure to tell George hello on your way out." The toddler smiled nervously, his surprise obviously fake. He jumped slightly when Yusuke slammed both his palms onto the cherry wood desk.

"Why are you trying to keep us from finding out anything useful about Inagawa?" he asked, his eyes glowing with irritation.

"Inagawa? What are you talking about?" Koenma avoided looking at Yusuke's face by busying himself with putting his stamp on various paper and moving them out of the way.

"Don't make me hurt you." Yusuke's reiki spiked dangerously, adding fear to the short list of emotions the prince of the next world was currently feeling.

"I-it's not like I don't want to tell you…" Koenma was now moving back into his chair, wishing it would swallow him whole. "I just can't, I was sworn to secrecy!" he yelled out finally.

"By whom?" Hiei asked, appearing much calmer than he really was.

"My father." Koenma figured that lying to them would be a small price his conscience would have to pay if he wanted to protect the truth.

"I can rip this place apart if I want to." Yusuke threatened.

After taking a few deep breaths Koenma's face turned from panicked to stoic. "You can, but you won't find anything." Mainly because he already instructed Botan to shred all evidence of the agreement. The original scroll was safely hidden in his father's private safe, out of reach for even the most skilled thief who was unfortunately, sometimes Koenma thought, a part of their team. Their team, because they no longer worked for the Reikai and only handled demon infiltrations and plots to take over the three worlds as some kind of a hobby or a sport.

"This has nothing to do with any of you, I assure you. But that's all I can say, I'm a man of my word gentlemen." Koenma said while criticizing the desk with his gaze to make sure it wasn't damaged when Yusuke's hands came in contact with it.

"Fine." Yusuke said as he straightened up. "See you around binky breath."

And with that, the two left the room, again slamming the door behind them, leaving Koenma to thank every god he personally knew for dodging that bullet. But for how long?

--

The old healer closed the shoji door behind herself as silently as possible. She was short and chubby, her white hair lay on her left shoulder in a braid and her black eyes were sad as the two red dots above her brows almost touched pulled together by her distressed expression.

"Kiri-san." The healer looked up in surprise to see a man with graying hair wearing a face as grave as hers.

"Jiro-chan, you shouldn't scare an old woman like that." She said putting her hand near her heart.

"My apologies Kiri-san. How is my brother?"

The older woman sighed sadly and looked away. "I'm afraid that he doesn't have much time left. His condition is harder than I thought at first." She looked down at the ground, her right hand clutching the bag that contained her herbs and potions.

The two stood in awkward silence, not meeting each other's eye until Kiri spoke again. "Jiro-chan, I have a small favor to ask."

"Anything Kiri-san." The man raised his head, the action alone seemed to cause him physical pain.

"I want to borrow the fastest messenger you have. The chances are slim, but maybe one of Yomi-sama's healers will be able to help Makoto-chan's condition."

"Of course Kiri-san. Is it alright if I see my brother now?"

"I'm afraid there is nothing to see right now Jiro-chan, your brother is sleeping. I must go now, I'll send the message right away, we shouldn't waste any time."

"I understand. Oyasumi Kiri-san." Jiro bowed to the woman, who bowed in return and slowly disappeared behind the turn.

Running a hand over his tired face Jiro released a slow breath and shook his head.

"What's wrong with my father?"

The voice made the aging man turn around only to find himself face to face with a young man with long raven black hair tied at the nape of his neck and sharp grey eyes with two red circles above his eyebrows. He was tall and well built, clad in black pants that narrowed around the calf and a loose white shirt that revealed his toned chest.

"Takeo."

"Uncle. What's wrong with father?" he asked again, his voice was deep and laced with emotion.

"This is not the time or the place to discuss this. You father is sleeping and I would rather if he stayed asleep. Let's go to the training grounds so you can show me what you've learned." Placing his hand on his nephew's shoulder, he led the hesitant young man away.

"But…" he began, trying to free himself from Jiro's firm grip.

"This is not the time Takeo." The older man left no room for discussion.

* * *

I'll probably put another chapter up tomorrow. Hope you enjoyed it!

x's & o's


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18**

Hiei was standing on the roof of a tall building down town. With his elbows leaning against the railing the look down at the street with his usual brooding air around him. He thought about how the last few years have changed him completely and how he found everything he spent most of his life convincing himself he would never have and never need- friendship, family, acceptance. These things were the reason he couldn't let the matter with Inagawa Amaya slide like Kuwabara and Kurama did. He had to make sure his family was safe, he had to know that he wouldn't lose the things it took him so long to earn just as suddenly as he had found them. And especially not because he missed some seemingly unimportant detail.

One of his hands came to rest on the hilt of the katana while the other gripped the railing harder as he felt familiar youki on the steer below him. After realizing who to youki belonged to, he was gone in a blur, following the signature from above, determined to protect his family.

--

After saying goodbye to Kai, Amaya began walking slowly in the direction of her house. She gently massaged her temples with the tips of her fingers and tried to avoid colliding with the people around her as she stared at her feet while walking.

If what she heard about the Reikai Tentei was even somewhat true, they wouldn't give up until they uncovered the reason she was in the Ningenkai. How the hell was she supposed to handle that by herself? As much as she wanted Sachiko to be happy, this future marriage of hers brought on a whole new world of complications she could never expect nor handle at the moment.

A black blur that was gone the second she noticed it made her look at the roof of a building on the other side of the street, when she saw nothing there she simply shook her head and kept walking in her relaxed pace.

_I'm just being paranoid. _She thought to herself as she approached her building.

While quickly climbing the stairs to the second floor she rummaged in the bag, searching for her keys, her fingers gently grazed the butterfly knife inside. A note that was stuck between the door and the doorframe caught her attention and she pulled it out, unfolding it as she slammed her apartment door behind her and kicked off her shoed. "'Amaya, I went out to explore for a bit. Don't worry, I'll find my way back.'" She read it out lout. "Alright." She sighed and walked to the kitchenette.

Suddenly she found herself pressed against the wall with the sharp blade of a katana against her neck. Her breath hitched in her throat and her heartbeat sped up, sending the adrenaline flowing through her system. Two red eyes glowed at her in the dark and a strong hand held her shoulder pinned to the wall.

"What are you doing here?" the deep voice growled.

"Isn't that the question I'm supposed to be asking?" Not letting the panic from the ambush take over her, she tried to fish the knife out of the bag hanging off her arm without drawing the attacker's attention to it.

The hand that was on her shoulder suddenly grabbed her arm, making the bag fall to the floor and its contents roll away in different directions.

"Hn. I'm protecting my family." Hiei's forearm was now across her chest, making any attempt to move away from the wall impossible.

Concentrating her youki in her right hand, she felt a short sword made of ice forming in it, the second it took shape, she lifted her hand to press it to Hiei's throat in the same manner he had his katana pressed to hers. Both refrained from breaking the skin and drawing blood.

"I'm doing the same. Step back." She growled at him and her eyes shined as two red dots appeared above her eyebrows.

"I could kill you before you had time to blink."

"Then why am I still breathing?" Amaya pressed her weapon closer. "Step back." she hissed.

The moved back from the wall and were now standing in the center of the small kitchen, the ferocity of their glares matching. Neither was willing to lower their weapons and they remained frozen in their positions.

"Look, I'm really not in the mood for this. So how about you lower that shiny sword of yours, hmm?" she asked, blowing a strand of hair away from her face.

"I don't trust you." Hiei stated.

"I'm not asking you to, but if you kill me then you would lose any chance you might have had to get any answers."

Hiei raised his eyebrows, his body relaxing in the slightest degree. "Fine." To his surprise, the fear he could smell on the woman was now completely gone. She really wasn't afraid of him.

"Count of three." She said, her fingers fidgeting slightly on the handle of the freezing blade. "One…two…three." Amaya and Hiei lowered their arms simultaneously and Amaya let her blade disappear along with her markings.

"This is better." She said, turning to flip the light switch on.

After picking up her things from the floor, she filled the kettle with water and set it on the gas stove, leaving Hiei stunned at how calmly she was carrying herself.

Amaya leaned against the sink and looked the man in front of her in the eye, holding his gaze for a while before looking away and combing her fingers through her hair, moving renegade strands away from her face. "Let me make one thing clear, I'm can't, more like, I won't answer all your questions. But I told you before, I don't want anything to do with you Reikai Tentei bunch, so you can turn the hostility down a notch."

The kettle whistled and Amaya took two cups out and placed them on the counter after throwing a tea bag into each one. Taking the cups with her, she put them on the table before lowering herself on to one of the two chairs. "Sit down, I don't bite." She said after seeing how awkward Hiei was looking, sword still in hand and staring at her with suspicion mingled with surprise.

After sheathing the katana, he took a seat across Amaya, looking warily at the tea in front of him.

"Hn." Hiei reached for the sugar bowl in the center of the table and started loading the sweet crystals into his cup, making Amaya raise an eyebrow at the amount of it. Looking up he asked, "What kind of demon are you?"

"Elemental." She answered, not going into detail.

Hiei nodded, trying to think of his next question.

--

Kai remained standing outside the café after her shift ended and she and Amaya parted ways. She still didn't know what was on her friend's mind but she knew she would find out eventually. She released a stream of smoke from her nostrils as she watched the cars go by on the busy road. The music from her earphones blared and she mouthed the lyrics to Plastic Tree's 'Alone Again, Wonderful World' and searched for Shizuru's car in the river of metal before her.

A tap on her shoulder made her jump and turn around sharply. Standing in front of her was a handsome man with his long hair in a low ponytail and dark eyes. Her face contracted into a sneer for a second before she removed her earphones and stared at the man blankly.

"Kai." The man attempted a smile.

"Tatsuya." She hissed. "Was I not clear enough the last time we spoke?"

"I-…" he began, unsure. "Can't we just talk about it? Like we used to?" he finished, reaching out to touch her bare shoulder.

"You cheated on me. You killed any chance you might have had for us to talk as friends, as acquaintances even, when you did that." She said bitterly, turning away from him to look back at the street and see familiar red hair appearing every now and then between the nameless faces of the crowd.

"You trashed my car." He said, gently turning her to face him once more. "And I forgive you, so why can't you do the same? It was one mistake, give me a chance to prove that I really do love you." He begged.

The red hair kept getting closer, and now Kai could see slicked back black hair bobbing along. She knew exactly who those two were, but she has yet to see their faces.

"You're such a lousy liar." Her voice was low and angry. "You don't love me, you just hate losing. The only reason you want me back is that I don't want you anymore. God I'm so glad I realized what a fucking asshole you really are!" her voice was gradually getting louder and attracting the attention of the passerbys.

"Lower your fucking voice." He suddenly hissed at her, his whole demeanor changing as he grabbed her arm.

"Let me go you bastard." She tried pulling her hand away from him, but that only made him make his grip stronger.

"You were so cute after I plucked your precious flower." She didn't recognize his face anymore when he grinned at her, pulling her closer to his body. "Like a puppy, so trusting…" he chuckled, leaning closer to her ear. "Of course I didn't love you, silly. How could anyone love someone as pathetic as you? The drinking, the daddy issues, there's nothing cute about that sweetheart. The only reason I kept you around was that you're a good lay." Her traced her face, from her well defined cheekbone to her chin.

Her face was one of pure disgust, although at the moment she wasn't exactly sure who she was more disgusted with, him or herself. Kai's attempts to rip herself away from his grip grew more and more urgent. "Get the fuck away from me." She hissed.

"Don't be like this Kai…Let's play, I know you like it rough." The hand that was on her face fell and she inhaled sharply as he grabbed her bottom.

"I told you to take your filthy fucking paws the fuck away from me you fucking pig!" she yelled, kicking him in the shin, making him wince, but not let go.

"That wasn't so nice of you."

"Don't you just hate jerks like that?" a voice came from behind Kai and she turned around to see who it is, to see Yusuke standing there with an intimidating expression on his face.

"I would suggest that you step away from her." Another voice spoke and Kai didn't even have to turn to see whom it belonged to.

"And what are you going to do pretty boy?" Tatsuya mocked.

Kurama walked up to the man, only taller than him by a few inches, and took Kai's hand in his own pulling her away from Tatsuya he smiled at her kindly, indicating towards Yusuke with his head before turning away from her. The look in his green eyes was ice cold as he took a step closer to the grinning man.

"Oh so you want to fight me?" Tatsuya snickered, covering his mouth with his fist. "That's cute. Kai you should've told me your new boyfriend is so funny." He yelled at Kai, who was now standing next to Yusuke and looking at him in shock.

"It's me you should be looking at." Kurama said in a low voice and when Tatsuya turned to face him, punched him in the jaw.

The taller man fell back holding his face with a pained expression. "You fucking-" he began, only to get friendly with the floor as Kurama kicked him in the face.

Crunching down near Tatsuya's bleeding face Kurama almost whispered, in hopes that Kai won't hear what he was about to say. "If I ever see you near her, I will literally rip you apart. There will be no body to identify." His eyes flashed gold for a millisecond before he stood up and watched the scared man scramble to his feet and run away as fast as he could.

Yusuke chuckled to himself, having heard every word his friend told the man and knowing how serious he was. Turning to look at Kai, who was slightly shaking and hugging herself.

"Kai, are you alright?" Kurama asked, taking off his jacket and draping it on Kai's shoulders.

She looked up at him and nodded, her eyes jumping to the small bloodstain on the pavement, and then back at him.

"Trouble just can't seem to stay away from you huh?" Yusuke joked, earning a glare from Kurama and a dry laugh from Kai.

"Let me take you home." Kurama offered, his hand resting lightly on her lower back.

"Actually, I'm supposed to wait for Shizuru to pick me up." She said weakly, after the adrenaline died down she was left shaking and confused, but the warmth of Shuuichi's jacket, and his smell that subtly carved itself into her memory helped her regain her senses.

"Well wait with you then, if you don't mind." It was not an offer.

"Actually, man I gotta go and meet Keiko." Yusuke rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.

"It's okay Yusuke." Kurama nodded at him.

"I'll see you later Kai, I promise that if I ever see that bastard again, I'm gonna beat him into a pulp." He winked at her, making her laugh a little and walked away.

"Come on, let's get you something to drink." Kurama's hand never left her lower back as he led Kai into a small coffee shop across the street, seeing as the maid café was closed a long time ago.

* * *

Tatsuya turned out to be a bigger asshole than I thought at first. And poor Kai, always in need of a knight in shining aromr to come to her rescue.

Hope you enjoyed it (and I hope there aren't any mistakes I missed ^^")!

x's & o's


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter 19**

"That was my ex." Kai answered the silent question, staring down at the carton cup Shuuichi insisted to pay for in her hands.

After buying her coffee, he led her to a small bench, the one they were sitting on now. He asked no questions, beside what would she like to drink, but she could feel that he was curious about the incident. She didn't feel like relaying her whole story to him at the moment, but she at least owed him some kind of explanation after the way he protected her.

"I feel so stupid." She admitted. "I'm sorry you got dragged in. It seems like everyone has to save my ass lately, you must think it's so pathetic that I can't defend myself." She looked away from him, biting her lip in shame. What was it with her lately? She never used to feel so helpless before.

"Nothing of the sort." Kurama assured her, wondering if he should tell her that even if she could handle the situation, he still would have hunted the guy down. But was it because she was related to one of his best friends, or was the reason entirely different? That he couldn't tell yet.

"It's just…the things he said to me hit home." She said, looking up to meet gentle and understanding green eyes. A hand came to rest lightly on her knee and she turned her head to focus on it.

He heard the things that man said to her, and that only made him want to break the man down, limb after limb. He could smell the tears she was holding back. "There's nothing pathetic about you." He said softly, his thumb caressing her jean covered leg.

"You don't even know me." She laughed lightly, not taking her eyes off his hand.

"I want to." And he really did.

Kai blushed slightly, still avoiding his gaze while Kurama watched her face, waiting for her reaction. Finally, she looked up to meet his eyes, her features somewhat brightened by a watery smile. "Don't say I didn't warn you though."

A blaring horn broke the comfortable silence between them making Kai jump a little. "That's Shizuru." She said and stood up, making Kurama's hand slip off her knee. "Thank you, for everything." she said before giving him an air kiss, just like the last time, and walking to Shizuru's car.

Kurama followed her with his eyes as she entered the car and waved slightly at Shizuru who was looking at him strangely. Shifting his gaze back to the girl who so quickly made herself a place in their small group, he smiled lightly before standing up and walking the rest of the short way back to his apartment, the smile lingering on his face the whole time.

--

Takeo stood in front of the sliding door, hesitating. His father rarely left his rooms anymore, and uncle Jiro took over most of his duties as the head of the family. The rumors of Makoto's illness spread like wild fire and although Takeo's days were filled with training sessions and tiring lessons with his uncles so that he, some day, could rule as head of the Toranaga clan, Takeo would have had to be deaf to miss the whispers.

"Takeo? You can come in." Makoto's voice rang through the door.

The young man reached out and moved the door open, bowing deeply at the sight of his father sitting on his futon.

"Oto-san."

"What is on your mind son? It's rare to see you outside your training sessions." Makoto warmly smiled at his son.

"It's rare to see you anywhere but in your rooms." Takeo said almost in a whisper, but he knew all too well that his father would hear him, after all that was exactly the way he got into trouble so many times when he was still a child.

Makoto sighed and looked at his son, seeing the strong young man he had become. It seemed only yesterday Makoto was watching the chubby child he used to be running around the training grounds, chasing butterflies. But now in front of his sat a powerful young man, always willing to help and obey his father, his loyalty as strong as his will to live.

"Oto-san, I am not a child anymore." Takeo sighed, as if sensing the waves of nostalgia radiating off his father. "I want you to tell me the truth." This was the first time he had the courage to speak so directly to his father, his only hope was that his father would comply with his wish.

Makoto sat in silence for a while, torn between wanting to be honest with his son and between keeping him in the dark just for a little while longer. Finally, he reached a decision. "Alright."

Takeo perked up in his seat and tried to meet his father's eyes, only to have his looks avoided.

"I don't know how much time I have son." Makoto finally admitted aloud.

"There are things, it seems, I cannot accomplish in this life. Like seeing you become the head of our clan or hold my grandchildren…or…" there Makoto paused, he promised his son he would be honest, but there was one secret he would take with him to his grave.

"Oto-san…" Takeo whispered, overwhelmed by his father's words, their meaning crashing down on him.

"I planned on letting you take my place when you turned 20, but it seems that all my plans will have to change now."

During the whole conversation, Jiro stood outside his brother's door, his sharp ears picking up every detail. His feelings ranged from sadness to anger, he always knew that Takeo would eventually be the one to inherit his brother's place and learned to accept it, but now the old jealousy reared its ugly head in his heart. When his father chose Makoto over his as the head of the clan over himself, who had worked hard and prepared himself all his life, he left with no intention to return, but his loyalty was too strong. Somehow, he always had hoped that Makoto would let him be the one in charge, instead of the one doing the dirty work. But maybe with some persuasion…

A grin appeared on his face as he turned to leave, allowing his brother and nephew their privacy, he already knew what he had to do to finally get what he deserved.

--

"Hiei." Kurama greeted when he walked into his apartment to see his friend sitting on the windowsill and looking out to the street.

"What's with that stupid smile?" Hiei asked, raising his eyebrow.

"Aren't you a bit too moody lately?" Kurama asked tiredly, sitting down on the couch. "I don't think that Yusuke and yours idea about breaking into the Reikai's vaults is a very good one." He did not wait for his friend's reply, as he knew none would come and changed the subject to a more pressing one. "Personally I don't feel like going back to being one of Koenma's lackeys."

"There is no need for that anymore. I spoke to the onna, she doesn't pose a threat to us." Hiei said, unfolding his arms and turning to face Kurama.

"You spoke with her?" Kurama didn't bother to hide the surprise in his face as he asked the question. He couldn't really imagine Hiei having a civil conversation with a demon he couldn't trust.

Hiei only nodded before standing up. "I must leave now, I have some business to attend to." he said, disappearing in a black blur, not even giving Kurama a chance to say goodbye.

The red head leaned back into the couch and allowed his body to relax. He let his thoughts drift back to the raven-haired girl and the way she smiled at him managing to look like a perfect saint and a foul sinner at the same time, drawing him in, igniting his curiosity and a small fire in the pit of him stomach.

* * *

x's&o's


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter 20**

It has been two weeks since the Tatsuya incident. Kai was laying on her bed with her feet propped up against the wall reading a book. Amaya and Kanaye left to visit the family they were once in its care the day before and Amaya wouldn't return for at least a week. Usually when Amaya left town Kai would kill time with Toya and his friends, but besides drinking there weren't many things they had in common, but now she found herself hanging out with Shizuru and Kuwabara even more than she herself expected.

Kai flipped the last page of 'The Thorn Birds' and shortly after that she was staring at the closed book in her hands. She had bought the book no more than a week ago in the small bookstore near Shizuru's house, a store she fell in love with quickly and frequently visited before or after her visits.

Kai stood up and left her room, making her way to the kitchen for a glass of water. There she found her mother and Aine bent over the table and discussing random details about the upcoming wedding. By now, Kai was used to this view and the pair ignored her, engrossed in their conversation, as she leaned against the marble counter, drinking her water and staring at them.

"Kai, what do you think about this dress for the bridesmaids?" Sachiko suddenly turned to her, showing her a picture of a lavender colored strapless dress that flared slightly at the hips and flowed to the floor.

"It's nice." Kai said, taking the picture in her hands and examining it more closely.

Sachiko exhaled a small sigh of relief and took the picture back, setting it aside from the rest. "Isao and I want to go look at a house tomorrow, would you like to join us? It's been a while since we did something together." Sachiko asked with a hopeful gleam in her eyes.

"Sure, sounds great, I have a day off tomorrow anyway." She said while putting the glass in the sink.

Just then, Aine's phone rang and she excused herself, leaving the mother and daughter alone. The air between them was strangely uncomfortable, they barely spoke these past few weeks as Sachiko focused on her wedding plans and house shopping with Isao.

"Honey…I'm sorry." Sachiko stood up from her seat and stood in front of her daughter, moving a strand of black hair to rest behind her ear.

"It's okay mama." Kai smiled at the touch. "I'm not mad." She gently touched her mother's hand that was resting on her cheek.

When Kai returned to her room, she frowned slightly to herself, feeling guilty that she didn't tell her about her decision to move out as soon as she found a place she could afford.

--

"Shuuichi!" Aine exclaimed after pressing the speak button of her phone.

"Aine, how are you?" Kurama's smooth, polite voice came through the speaker.

"I'm fine, I miss you." She said timidly, playing with a stand of smooth hair twisting it around a slender finger.

"Are you busy tonight?" Kurama asked, leaning back as he sat down on the windowsill and stared at the river of lights below him.

"Well I think that Sachiko-san and I are done for today. Would you like to come over tonight?" she asked hopefully.

"I'll be over at eight."

"Alright, I'll se you then. I love you." She cheerfully said, a bright smile spreading over her face.

"Bye." Kurama said before hanging up. He avoided this day for a long time, too long. It was time for them both to move on.

--

When Amaya and Kanaye finally reached the Toranaga compound they were both tired of the journey, as they traveled in a doubled pace and each retreated to her own room to rest without exchanging a word.

Amaya was home a day before the meeting set by Makoto-sama and she gladly retired to the luxurious bathroom that was attached to her room. Everything in the Makai was so different from the life she led in the Ningenkai, the luxury and power her clan held here, the respect she was treated with everywhere she went. In the Ningenkai, she was an orphan, and here family members, close or distant, constantly surrounded her.

She allowed her body to relax as she laid back in the large stone tub, the hot water soothing her muscles and thoughts.

"Do you have a precious person?" she asked the fire demon when they sat in her kitchen two weeks ago.

"Hn." The look in his eyes told her he did.

"That's what Kai is to me. The initial reason I came here has no meaning anymore, I only want to make sure she is safe and happy. That is my reason now." She told him.

Sure, she skipped on the major details and twisted the facts, but nothing of the things she told him that night was a lie. Amaya was glad that he was satisfied with her answers because that meant that he won't be sticking his nose in her business, at least not for a while.

--

Aine was flipping through a magazine, having a hard time concentrating as she kept glancing at her watch, impatient to see her boyfriend. She was so busy with helping Sachiko-san plan her wedding that they haven't seen each other for a very long while.

Dinner for two was set on the table, candles lit around the apartment and quiet music helped in setting the atmosphere. Aine was dressed in a bark blue warp around dress and her hair fell in loose curls to the tops of her breasts.

A knock on the door made her jump from her seat and she smoothed the dress on her body before answering the door to see Kurama standing there. He was dressed in a pair of black slacks and a white button up shirt. Standing on the tips of her toes, her lips met his, only he didn't respond to the kiss, making Aine look at him with a confused expression.

"Come in, I have dinner ready for us." She said, ready to walk to the dining table only to be stopped by Kurama who grabbed her arm.

"We need to talk."

Unlike their past meetings, butterflies didn't float in her stomach at the exiting thought of him proposing to her. Those four dreaded words formed a lump in her throat as she sat down on the couch across the man.

"Aine…" he started, not knowing exactly what to say. "I think that maybe it's time for us to part ways." That was the only way he could think of to put it.

Tears rushed to her eyes and she made mo attempt to hide them or wipe them away. "W-why?"

It was a simple question, but Kurama had a hard time finding a proper answer. "I think that we both would be happier that way."

Aine's hands were clutching the bottom of her dress, the knuckles turning white. "I don't make you happy?"

How the hell did he get himself into this situation? "I think that I'm the one not making you happy. Aine I don't think I can give you what you want." He reached for her hand only for it to be pulled away quickly, as if he was about to put out a cigarette on it.

"You just don't think I'm good enough for you! Admit it!" she screamed as she stood up sharply.

"No Aine, you're wrong, it's nothing like that."

"Then you found someone else!" she started pacing in the room, finally stopping by the shelf that the stereo system stood on. "Don't bullshit me with all this 'We don't make each other happy' crap. You just found someone better." She whispered and her shoulders slumped.

Kurama opened his mouth to speak but was interrupted by a loud crashing sound. Aine stood facing him, the system lying in pieces on the floor as she breathed heavily.

"You son of a bitch!" she screamed and ran over to the dinner table, grabbing a salad dish and throwing it across the room. "I hate you!" she grabbed the plates and let them crash into the floor one after the other.

Soon there was nothing left on the table to throw and Aine remained standing in the centre of broken glass and splattered food, her hair wild and her once subtle make-up smeared on her face.

"Get out." She said, her voice breaking and pointed to the door.

"Aine…" Kurama began taking a step towards her.

"Don't." she warned. "Just get out. I don't want to see your face."

Kurama sighed and turned to the door, putting on his shoes and closing it quietly behind himself, he heard another crash as Aine threw something after him.

"I guess she wouldn't want us to just be friends then." He muttered to himself as he got into his car and drove away, leaving the crying girl behind him.

--

Kai sat on the floor of Shizuru's living room an ashtray and a cup of coffee placed beside her as she and Kuwabara played a very violent video game.

"Ha! Told ya' I'd kick your ass!" she yelled in his ear.

"I demand a rematch!" he yelled back, a vein throbbing on his forehead.

"You know you'll only lose again." Kai taunted.

Her cell phone rang making her put up one finger to signal a pause in their bickering.

"Hello?" she asked, unsure, as she didn't recognize the number. "Yeah, sure." The conversation ended in seconds.

Standing up she straightened her shirt. "I have to go. I'll be back in an hour." She said, before placing a kiss on Kuwabara's cheek.

"Alright." Kuwabara walked her to the door and then came back to the living room, choosing a movie from the DVD collection to pass the time.

As the opening credits rolled a knock on the door made him pause the movie.

On his doorstep stood a very confused looking Kurama.

"Hey man, what's wrong?" Kuwabara asked him, as he closed the door once again and followed his friend to the living room.

"I broke up with Aine."

* * *

So, who's the mystery caller?

x's&o's


	21. Chapter 21

**Chapter 21**

Kai pushed against the cold wind, wrapping her jacket tighter around her body as she moved rebellious strands of hair out of her face. In the stranded park a street light shone on a bench were a lonely figure sat waiting for her.

Aoi was Tatsuya's best friend, and that's made Kai weary of this meeting.

"So what did you want to talk about?" she asked as she sat down beside him on the bench, cutting through the small talk.

Aoi chose to stare at his feet with an uncomfortable look on his face as he fiddled with the zipper of his jacket. "It's about Tatsuya..." he finally said after a minute of awkward silence between the two.

Kai's body stiffened at the mention of his name but she would be lying if she said she was surprised. "What about him?" her voice grew harsher, the memory of the incident very fresh in her mind.

"Don't be mad at him…you know it wasn't really him. He's been having a rough time lately trying to get clean. I know he didn't mean for that to happen." Aoi almost begged.

"Then why are you here apologizing for him?"

"Would you have answered if he was the one to call?" Aoi asked, raising his eyebrow.

Kai remained silent, they both knew the answer to that question.

"I'm not saying you should be friends or anything…But it'd make the whole process easier if he knew you don't hold a grudge against him." He turned his head to look Kai in the eyes with a hopeful look.

Kai sighed, biting on her lower lip as she tossed Aoi's words around in her head. "Look," she finally said, "I know you're his best friend but you really shouldn't be the one asking for my forgiveness. I don't care what shit he's going through right now. He was the one to get into that whole mess and he's old enough to wipe his own ass." She swallowed the lump in her throat before speaking again. "What he did…I was really scared back there Aoi. I didn't know what he was going to do." Exhaling a long breath she stood up. "I just don't want him anywhere around me ever again and I don't know why you bother with him."

"People have different reasons to love the ones they do" he said with a bitter smile on his lips.

Kai stared at him, the realization finally dawning on her. "Good luck with that." She said, her voice sincere. "Maybe I'll see you around."

Kai pulled the zip up hoodie closer to her body before walking away, leaving Aoi once again all alone.

--

"She actually broke the stereo?!" Kuwabara exclaimed, looking wide eyed at Kurama.

The latter nodded, relief washing over his body in slow waves now that he was far enough from what turned out to be one very crazy girl.

"And I thought Kai was kidding about Aine being a basket case" the tall man breathed out. "Well it's a good thing you got out when you did. It's gonna be a bith trying to avoid her at the wedding though…" he added.

The door bell went off one, two, three times before Kuwabara stood up from the couch.

Kurama leaned back into the couch and closed his eyes exhaling slowly. Was she always that crazy? And if she was, why didn't he notice it earlier?

"…His fucking best friend!" a fragment of a semtence reached his ears and he didn't need to think twice about the identity of it's owner.

Soon enough his other sences became aware of Kai's presense in the apartment, her light perfume mixed with her natural scent and the smell of rain water. Opening his eyes he saw Kuwabara and Kai walk into the living room. Kai's hair was disheveled by the wind and small rain drops fell to the floor from her soaked clothing and hair.

"Just my fucking luck for it to start raining just as I'm a block away from your place." she muttered, slapping Kuwabara on the arm as his shoulders shook from silent laughter.

"Hi Shuuichi." she smiled at him gently, her tone making Kurama wonder if maybe the crazy factor was what attracted him to certain women. Although Kai didn't seem like the type who would chop you to pieces and keep you in the fridge.

"I'm going to take a shower now. See you in a few." she said, turning on her heel and walking to the bathroom.

--

The hot water cascaded down her back warming up her frozen body. With her forehead against the wall Kai breathed in and out slowly, trying to slow down her erratic heart beat. How did he do that to her? Just a glimpse of him or the tought of his touch, of his smile, sent small waves of shock through her entire body evey time.

Sucking in another breath she realised she didn't take any clothes with her. Turning off the water she reached for the towel and wrapped it closely around her body.

"Kazuma!" she yelled, sticking her head slightly out of the door.

The only person she saw in the living room was a very amused looking Kurama.

"He's picking Shizuru up." the red head said, his eyebrow cralwing upwards at how flustered Kai looked and a small smile taking over his mouth.

"Shit." Kai whispered. She was considering staying locked in the bathroom until her brother and sister returned, but that thought seemed awfully stupid to her. Biting on her lower lip she held the towel closer to her body before opening the door and stepping out of the bathroom with as much dignity as she could muster up.

Kai dissapeared behind the door to Shizuru's room without hearing Kurama choke on his tea. This couldn't be healthy, he mused as he wiped the liquid from his chin. It was hard enough on him to control his wandering thoughts when she was fully clothed, but her walking out in nothing but a towel that barely reached mid thigh brought on a whole new set of problems for the fox demon. His pants didn't quite fit him right any more, and was it just him or did the room suddenly got hotter. Someone in the Reikai must be having the time of their lfe watching him squirm.

When she was fully clothed (luckly for her Shizuru didn't mind Kai borrowing her clothes) Kai stepped out to the living room, a slight blush gracing her cheeks.

"So how was the big dinner with Aine?" she asked as nonchelantly as she could after sitting down on the other side of the couch.

Kurama remained quiet for a while, not sure if he should tell her the whole story. "I ended it." he finally said and had to hide the smirk that was threatening to appear at the look of pleasant surprise on Kai's face.

It was harder than she thought, pretending that the news didn't make her want to break out in a victory dance right in the middle of the living room.

"Oh." she said, instead of squealing with joy. Not knowing what to do with all the energy that suddenly appeared in her body, she stood up adburptlu from the couch. "Are you hungry then?"

Kurama looked at her weirdly for a moment before smiling. "I could eat. Kuwabara keeps the take out numbers by the fridge." he said, nodding with his head in the direction of the kitchen.

Putting her hands on her hips Kai tilted her head slightly to the right. "Are you suggesting that I can't cook Minamino-san?" she asked, glaring at him playfuly.

"Oh gods no. What do we have on the menu then chef Watanabe?"

"Give me a minute." she said before skipping away.

He was defenetly attracted to crazy, Kurama thought as he shook his head before standing up to follow Kai into the kitchen.

Giddy barely began to describe what Kai was feeling as she rummaged around the fridge, pulling out the thing she would need to cook a decent meal.

Softly humming to herself she walked to the counter, opening ine of the cupborads to find a bowl for the salad. Standing on the tips of her toes she tried to reach the bowl, cursing Kuwabara in her head for putting it on such a high shelf. She took in a sharp breath when a warm, and hard she quickly noticed, chest pressed against her back.

"You know you could have just asked me to get it." her face turned scarlet as Kurama's breath carresed her neck.

After setting the bowl on the counter, he leaned on it, sucsessfully trapping her body from eveery direction their bodies oh so closse.

Kai was in no way innocent, but being so close to him physically made her knees feel like jello.

"Thanks." she whispered, waiting for him to step back so she could begin to breathe properly again.

Oh how he loved seeing her blush like that, knowing he was the one to envoke that reaction. But standing so close to her made the master of patience and self restraint fight a harsh battle against himself. Finally taking a step back he heard her suck in a shaky breath before she quickly moved away from him.

Crossing his arms over his chest, Kurama watched her with a smirk as she moved around the kitchen, avoiding looking at him as hard as she could.

--

Spending time with her family was one of the things Amaya missed the most about the Makai. Walking around the familiar gardens of her childhood home she felt at ease, now that she knwe she could trust the Reikai Tentei enough to keep Kai safe until her retrnshe could really relax.

"Cousin, I'm glad to see you back."

Turning around to the source of the voice she smiled gently. "Takeo. How have you been?"

Matching his strides to his cousin's Takeo joined her on her walk.

"Good, though I'm afraid that father has fallen ill." his gray eyes focused on the lilies floating in one of the small lakes as they came to a halt in front of a small stone bench.

"So the rumors…" Amaya began as she sat down, pulling on her fingers until little knack sounds came out.

Takeo nodded but remained standing.

"What do the healers have to say?"

Takeo was about to speak when he heard footsteps approching from a small distance away.

"Amaya, you're back from Ningenkai. Your mother must be thrilled." A tall aging man with his graying black hair and smooth voice stepped out of the evening shadows.

"Uncle Jiro. She's as glad as I a to be back home." Amaya bowed slightly to the man.

Jiro nodded in approval. "Shouldn't you be with Motaro-san?" he directed his question to Takeo.

"We were done with today's lessons uncle." Takeo said with an uncertain smile. Jiro was doing everything he could these days to keep him busy, probsbly trying to distract him from th thoughts of his dying father.

"Very well. I must attend to some buisness now, I expect to see you both at dinner tonight. Your mother planned a feast to celebrate your return Amaya." Jiro turned away, not waiting for their response.

"I don't know how much time he has left." Takeo picked up their previous conversation from the same place they left it. "He won't let anyone aside from Kiri-san get close to him."

Standing up Amaya put a hand on her cousins arm. "Then maybe we don't even have a reason to worry."

Grey eyes stared at her, sad and scared, reminding her of his sister. They are so alike, she thought to herself as she held Takeo much like she did Kai whenever she was upset, too bad they will never meet.

--

The elderly woman known as Kiri walked into the rooms she shared with her mate. Fujita was meditating out on the veranda and the only sound that disturbed the main room's peace was the bubbling of one of her concotions i the far corner of the room.

Not wanting to disturb her mate, Kiri sat down by the fire with a quiet sigh. Makoto's condition was getting worse with each passing day and all she could do for him now was ease the pain as life slowly escaped out of him. He seemed oddly peaceful since Amaya returned home though.

She was wrried though about the future of the clan after his passing. Is Takeo strong enough to fight for his birth right as the head of the clan if needed? Even if he is, he is still so very young, too young to know how to play the vicious games of dominance and power.

Rubbing her forehead she ket her eyes travel outside the open window and focus on the red moon hanging in the night sky.

Gods help them all, they will need it.

* * *

Heya, so sorry for the lack of updates! I'm expiriencing some technical difficulties at the moment (my computer died).

Hopefully the next chapters will be coming soon (or at least as soon as this month as I'm highjacking my friends computer.)

x's&o's


	22. Chapter 22

**Chapter 22**

"Bye Kai! Thanks again for cooking!" Shizuru hugged the younger girl as the small group stood by the front door saying their goodbyes.

"Sure. Good night Kazuma." Kai had to stand on the tips of her toes to hug the much taller man.

After the apartment door closed behind them Kai and Kurama found themselves staring at a wall of rain from the entrance of the building.

"Could I offer you a ride home?" Kurama asked as he watched Kai hug herself trying to shield herself from the cold.

Offering him a brilliant smile she said "Sure. As much as running to the train station in the rain sounds fun…I think I could tolerate you for another fifteen minutes."

Kurama shook his head at the humor in her eyes. This has been going on all night, them teasing each other while Shizuru and Kuwabara exchanged meaningful looks. He removed his jacked and put it over Kai's shoulders before running out of the cove the building provided for them and disappearing in the parking lot.

"Where are you going?" Kai yelled after him, fisting the fabric of his jacket and pulling it closer to her body.

Seconds later Kurama's car pulled up in front of the building. Taking a breath Kai sprinted to the car and ripped the door open, slamming it after her the second she was in the warmth of the car.

"What the hell was that about?"

"Did you think I was going to wish us both home?" Kurama asked her with a raised eyebrow.

Kai blushed slightly but didn't back down. "Fine, get pneumonia and die, see if I care." She said, rolling her eyes for added effect.

Kurama chuckled slightly to himself and turned up the heating, glancing at Kais profile beside him every once in a while. The ride has been silent except for when Kai had to give Kurama directions, in the background the radio played softly and Kai hummed along to the songs she knew.

"Kai." Kurama said when he finally pulled up in front of her building, not failing to notice it was only a block away from his work. She turned to look at him but didn't say anything. "Would you like to go out with me sometime this week?" There, he said it.

If she thought that her stomach was doing flip-flops earlier, well now it was performing every acrobatic trick known to the human kind in a row. She opened her mouth to speak but it was as if her brain got jammed.

Her silence as she started at him awe struck made him nervous. He never got nervous around females, at least not at the possibility of being rejected. But then again no woman made him want her without even trying.

"I would love to." Kai finally breathed out with a shy smile. She leaned over in her seat and kissed him goodbye on the cheek, running out of the car before Kurama even had the chance to respond.

--

Kai was in her room when she finally noticed she still wore Kurama's jacket. Inhaling deeply she smiled, the jacket smelled like him, like the forest after the rain. Still smiling she threw herself on the bed and covered her head with a pillow squealing loudly into it while kicking her legs out.

After stripping down to her underwear she laid curled up under the covers, Tony purring contently beside her, and stared at the grey cloth folded neatly on the back of her chair. She would return it to him the next time they met, on their date, she thought with a smile before falling asleep.

--

When the sun rose above the Toranaga compound, signaling the beginning of a new day Amaya was on her way back to her rooms. Bidding good morning to those she passed she didn't bother to stop and make small talk. She has been up for two good hours before she could even smell the sunrise and spent that time in a much needed work out with Umeko, one of her cousins. She had to be thankful that the sparring match between them was friendly and didn't require her wasting time with a healer or else she would have had no time at all to get ready.

Once she showered and changed in to proper attire Amaya pulled out a scroll from her bag and left her rooms in the direction of Makoto-sama's privet chambers.

Standing in front of the sliding doors she tried to ignore the argument her sensitive ears were picking up on as she waited.

--

"He is not ready! You are being foolish brother!" Jiro couldn't control his anger anymore. "Your son is too young to rule the clan!"

Makoto watched his younger brother, being the picture of patience itself. "Your desire to rule is starting to bring the worst out of you otouto." He said as he reached for his tea. "Takeo is my heir, and he will be the one to take my place, earlier than expected, yes, but that will make little difference in the long run. And you will be at his side as his guide and his right hand as you have been by at mine all these years. These are my orders to you as your liege lord."

Jiro was seething as he stormed out of the room. Throwing a glare at Amaya as he pushed past her he left her staring hesitantly at the open doorway.

"You will stay in the room and report to me everything you hear." Jiro hissed at the shadows as he stepped off the veranda and made his way across the inner garden in large strides.

The shadows of the veranda seemed less dense as the shadow demon followed his master's orders and blended into the shadows in the far corner of the room Jiro just left.

--

"You may come in now Amaya."

It always surprised her how calm her uncle remained during even the most heated of arguments.

"My liege." She bowed deeply before entering the room and letting the maid slide the door closed silently.

"Leave Azami." Makoto instructed the young girl who bowed low and disappeared as silently as she came.

"There's no need for such formalities my dear." Makoto smiled as he indicated for Amaya to sit closer. "Now how is my favorite niece?"

"I'm fine uncle. I'm more worried about you though." She said, accepting the tea from his hands with a nod.

"So you've heard." He sighed. "I guess I should've expected that."

Amaya nodded sadly. "Takeo is scared uncle. I am too."

Covering her hand with his significantly larger one he made her meet his eyes. "I have watched you and you siblings grow, I have faith that you will all help Takeo when his time to claim his rightful place comes. Your generation will lead the clan to great places, ones I won't be able to. When my time will come I will join my mate with almost no regrets." His face was serene before he smiled gently. "Now tell me, what news do you bring me of my daughter?"

"Sachiko-san is getting married."

This erased the smile from his lips momentarily. "Is that so?"

Amaya nodded. "The man is the father of one of the Reikai Tentei."

"You brought a quite a few surprises with you today." Makoto had trouble erasing the shock from his face. "But tell me, is he a good man?"

"He is. He loves Sachiko-san and cares for Kai. He will make a good father for her." Studying his face Amaya realized how old and tired her uncle suddenly looked. Nothing like the powerful hero he was to her while she was growing up. "Everything is in here." She set the sealed scroll between them before taking a brown envelope from the sleeve of her pale green kimono. "And I brought you more pictures."

Standing up she approached to kiss Makoto on his cheek. "She's happy uncle, and she will always have people who care for her by her side. You should rest now, I will come to see you later."

After Amaya left the room Makoto reached for the envelope first. Extracting a picture of a black haired girl with laughter in her gray eyes, his gray eyes, he smiled sadly.

"Kai…My daughter. I only wish I could see you one more time." He whispered as he ran his finger over the smiling face in the photo.

The shadow demon slipped away unnoticed behind the man's back. His master will be very pleased.

* * *

So I don't know, comments please?

Anyway, still no computer and being in the army sucks. Hopefully next update will be sometime this week.

xs&os


	23. Chapter 23

**Chapter 23**

As Keiko dragged him down the busy street Yusuke allowed himself to focus on her features. Most of the childishness has disappeared from her face and her figure, she was a woman now. The only woman for him as far as he was concerned. She still had the tendency to mother him like she did when they were younger.

Coming to a halt in front of a café she turned to look at him. "What is there something on my face?" she asked, reaching to touch her cheek.

Yusuke shook his head and pulled her in for a soft kiss. "Nothing, you look good today." He grinned at her blushing face and led her into the café.

They sat down by the table that the maid uniform wearing hostess showed them to. "Welcome home master, lady."

Yusuke stared dumbfounded at the place Keiko insisted he'd take her to. As far as he could see all the staff was female but what surprised him more was that they all wore French maid uniforms and addressed the costumers as 'master' or 'lady'. Another thing was, they were all smiling as if they slept with coat hangers in their mouths.

"Good day master, lady. What may I get you?" the voice was familiar and when Yusuke turned around to look at their waitress he almost choked. There was Kai, frilly dress and all.

"Kai, I didn't know you work here." He had to bite his thumb to keep himself from laughing.

"Yusuke…" Well this is awkward, Kai thought to herself. Just her luck.

Keiko was giving the girl an up and down look. She was pretty, she'd give her that, a nice body too, probably not too smart though.

Turning to look at Yusuke she gave him a suspicious look. How the fuck did he know the waitress.

Seeing the look Keiko was giving him, Yusuke sobered up. "Keiko, you remember how I told you about Kuwabaka's step sister? Well that's her. Kai, meet my girlfriend, Keiko."

Ah, well that made sense. The girl was out of Yusuke's league in anyway. "It's nice to meet you." Keiko said with a kind smile and a slight bow.

"Likewise." Kai smiled sweetly at the other girl. Pulling out a pad and a pen from her apron she cocked her head slightly to the side and stuck out one hip. "So what can I get you guys?"

--

Kai felt like a moron, she couldn't stop smiling since the moment she got out of Shuuichi's car the night before. Was that one of the effects he had on women? Maybe that's why Aine always seemed like she was popping Prozac all day long…

Shaking her head to clear it, she focused on bringing Yusuke and his girlfriend their drinks. Keiko seemed too gentle to be the woman who made Sariyashiki's legendary punk shake in his undies, but Amaya seemed to delicate to break a man's jaw with a single punch so Kai preferred not to test the girl.

She sighed quietly, trying not to trip over anyone's leg as she made the way to the table. Amaya was only gone for three days and Kai already missed her. She had come to lean on her so much for support and was so used to always having her around that even a few days without seeing her felt like years. Of course she had Shizuru now, but it just wasn't the same.

"Does Kuwabara know about you working here?" Yusuke asked her as she placed their orders in front of them.

"He knows I work at a café, but he didn't ask for details…why?"

Yusuke snorted and threw a glance around the room. "He'd have a fit if he knew about all these perverts checking you out."

Keiko nodded to verify her boyfriend's words, making Kai frown.

"Well then I guess he doesn't need to know. I seriously doubt my boss would like the idea of an over protective brother lurking around." Kai said before walking away.

--

Shizuru sat down with a huff. Holding a paper cup in one hand and a cigarette in the other she sat outside the upscale salon she was now working at for her break.

Her date last night had been a complete disaster. One of her co-workers set her up and now she would have to add two more people to het hit list. Calling the guy a narcissist would barely begin to cover it. They barely got through the first course at the over-priced, over-crowded, over-everything, restaurant and she was ready to stab him in the eye with one of the forks she had under her hands. Finally realizing that one of them had to leave, and if it had to be her date, it would be in a body bag, she decided to call her brother.

What surprised them both when they got home was finding Kurama and Kai in the kitchen with the tension around them so thick she could practically see sparks flying in the air.

What she needed to do now was to think of a way to keep Aine out of the picture. She had a feeling that the soft spoken girl could be somewhat of a problem for her little sister's love life.

The problem was that Sachiko absolutely adored her. Maybe she could tie her up and dump her a few towns away?

Shizuru snorted at her own thoughts, she was spending too much time with her brother's friends.

But maybe involving her father would be a good idea?

Just as that thought was born in her head, her cell phone vibrated in her pocket, pulling it out she thanked silently the Gods of little coincidences.

"Hey dad, I was just thinking about you." She said.

"Good things I hope." Isao laughed.

"Of course." Shizuru laughed along.

"Well I called with a surprise."

"Your getting another wife? Polygamy is illegal dad…and gross." Shizuru joked.

"No, no. Sachiko and I have been house hunting for a while now and yesterday we signed a contract for a house. I wanted you to be the first to know. We're planning a barbeque as out house warming party."

"What? You mean Kai doesn't know yet?" Shizuru straightened up in her seat.

"I convinced Sachiko to make it a surprise…why?" his tone suddenly became a concerned one.

"Because, dad, me and Kazuma are used to your surprises, but do you think it's fair for Kai to be the last to know she would be moving out of her home?" rubbing her face with her hand she let out a frustrated sigh. "She's your daughter too now, and honestly I don't know what Sachiko was thinking, letting you convince her like that. You have to start thinking about Kai too, especially since she will be living with you for a while." She could imagine the realization sinking over her father's face and mind.

"I suggest you figure this out soon. I'll talk to you later." She said before hanging up.

Her father could be so clueless sometimes. Now she would have to forget about dealing with Aine while the family drama sorted itself out.

--

"I can't believe my saint of a brother, the bright future of the Toranaga clan has a bastard child. A half-breed! Can you believe my brother bedded a filthy human Kumiko?" Jiro asked as he watched the beautiful woman as she brushed her long purple hair.

He was stretched on her bed, naked. Although the effects of time haven't left him completely untouched, his body was as strong and lean as it was when he was in his early 200's.

Rutting the comb aside Kumiko crawled into the bed next to Jiro and ran her fingertips across his chest. "I always knew he didn't deserve to rule. He betrayed the clan, disgraced it." She purred in his ears. "You are the one who's meant to be in his place. You're so much stronger my love, loyal, the true heir."

"Yes…" Jiro agreed slowly, more confident than ever in her words. "But how?"

"Simple. Your brother is sick, getting weaker as each moment passes, soon he will perish. Bring the son to your side, show him Makoto's betrayal, earn his faith and devotion and when the time comes remove him from you way. Clear the clan of the traitors, fulfill you calling."

"And you will rule beside me, as my mate at long last. You will never feel the shame of exile again." Jiro smiled as he kissed Kumiko's neck tenderly.

"But you must get rid of the half-breed first. Those pesky humans have a tendency to meddle with perfectly good plans." She said as she moved to straddle him.

Jiro only nodded in agreement before sitting up to touch his lips to hers.

* * *

Here you go kiddies, another chapter. I hope you liked this one because honestly I'm having some doubts about it and I may fix it up a little, that won't happen for a while though.

x's&o's


	24. Chapter 24

**Chapter 24**

She's been staring at her phone for almost half an hour now, trying to make it ring with the power of her mind. She has developed this habit ever since Shuuichi asked her out three days ago. She couldn't honestly remember the last time she reacted like this over a guy, maybe if Amaya was here she could've reminded her… Kai pursed her lips in a final attempt in telepathy, but hung her head in defeat seconds later.

Kai didn't want to leave her room as it was the only room that hasn't been taken over by wedding preparations. Her mother was "Hurricane Sachiko" now, attached to Aine, her right hand woman, and barely seeing farther than her nose.

Truth be told, Kai felt abandoned, and when she wasn't staring at the phone she was either working or sleeping. Loneliness was quick to take over.

Phone rang suddenly, making her heart leap into her throat. It was him.

"Hi." She could barely disguise the tremble in her voice.

"Good evening Kai, I'm not interrupting, am I?"

Suppressing the urge to giggle like the school girl she was not so long ago, Kai let herself relax and lean back into a more comfortable position on her bed. "No, I wasn't doing anything. What's up?"

"I was wondering if you would like to join me for dinner tomorrow?"

How can he be so damn calm all the time? Bastard, she thought.

"I would love to. Pick me up at eight?" Now that's much better, she patted herself on the back.

"Perfect. I'll see you tomorrow then, good night Kai."

--

Kurama let out a long sigh after he hung up. It was the fear of her suddenly changing her mind that kept him from calling her these last few days, even when he really wanted to hear her voice.

The great Youko Kurama, afraid of asking a human girl out because she just might say no. Now that would keep Hiei amused for months.

But where should he take her? He didn't bother to ask her what kind of food she prefers, what if he took her to a place she hates? Stupid fox…

"Call the oaf's sister."

Kurama jumped slightly and turned his attention to Hiei, who now occupied his windowsill.

"You were thinking so hard I thought smoke would start coming out of your ears. Kuwabara's been rubbing off on you I see."

"Hiei, you should really mind your own business sometimes." Kurama said after clearing his throat, "And don't take this the wrong way, but isn't Mukuro expecting you back in Alaric?"

"Hn. She ordered me to stay here for another week. She's planning something." The hair furrowed his brows in dissatisfaction.

"You're being paranoid."

"Hn."

Kurama chuckled to himself. "I understand that you're bored without your playmate, but I'm hardly in the mood for verbal sparring right now. You'll have to wait for Amaya to come back to the Ningenkai for that."

He said with the all knowing smirk that made Hiei want to grab him katana and chop his head off.

"Shut up, fox."

--

"Damn Ume-chan, when did you get so strong?" Amaya breathed out as she moved her hair out of her face.

She was panting and covered in sweat, hair wild from her own wind attacks, while her baby cousin didn't seem to be phased by the workout at all.

"Nah, you're just getting lazy Amaya-nee." Umeko's golden eyes seemed to laugh even when her mouth didn't.

"Don't be rude brat, I can still kick your ass."

Amaya grabbed two wooden swords from the wall and tossed one of them towards Umeko who caught it with ease.

"Now let's see how good you are when you're not using your strong element."

She was gone in the blink of an eye, making Umeko automatically take a defensive position. Amaya reappeared behind her about to deliver a heavy blow on Umeko's left shoulder, but she turned around in time to block the attack.

Amaya jumped back and smirked as she ran towards Umeko, sword raised. The dry sound of wood hitting wood filled the dojo, both girls stood facing each other when Amaya suddenly squatted and clapped her hands to the ground making waves of the earth rise towards Umeko, causing her to stumble.

"So were playing dirty now." Umeko spat on the ground to get rid of the dust in her mouth.

Amaya said nothing, instead she charged again, aiming a kick at Umeko's stomach. Umeko fell, but was quick to roll closer to Amaya and grab her foot, pulling on it with one hand while feeding her ki to the earth with the other. Vines shot out of the ground grabbing Amaya and binding her limbs together, pinning her to the ground.

"Looks like the brat picked up a few tricks onee-chan." Umeko said, releasing the vines with a wave of her hand.

"Not half bad." Amaya said, still on the ground. Sitting up and putting her weight on her hands she used her feet to knock Umeko off hers. Straddling herm once more raised the earth to pin Umeko down. "But I'm still better."

Clapping from the entrance of the dojo stopped the glaring between the two.

"I'm glad that the Ningenkai didn't make you lose your edge, cousin." Takeo said as he approached the girls and offered his hand to Amaya.

"Yeah well, with short-dark-and-brooding around that's hardly possible." She muttered to herself as she patted her knees to remove the dirt from them.

Takeo raised an eyebrow, a gesture that made Amaya think of Kai, but did not comment on Amaya's words, instead he turned to Umeko who was still lying on the ground despite the fact that it had released its hold on her.

"Stop pouting. You're good, but you should have known better- never get too cocky in a fight, in different circumstances that would have got you killed. You will be training with me from now on." Takeo's features then softened. "By the time Amaya next visits, she'll be the one eating dirt."

--

They left Umeko to train by herself and walked to a distant spot in the garden that they used to visit frequently as children.

"When are you leaving?" Takeo asked, picking up a pebble and throwing it into the pond.

"In a few days."

"Otou-san may not be with us by your next visit…I know your mother would be happy if you came home." He turned to look at her. "You never did tell me why otou-san sent you away."

"You know I can't tell you anything about it. Makoto-sama is more than my uncle, he's my liege lord, as you will be one day."

Takeo nodded.

"He's doing everything he can, even right now, to protect us. He sacrificed so much for the clan, I hope you understand that."

Takeo stared at her profile, wondering how many more secrets she was hiding from him.

--

"What are your orders master?"

The shadow's in Jiro's rooms were thick and heavy, making the large bedroom feel small and crowded.

"One of you will follow the girl back to the Ningenkai and report directly to me. Even the smallest detail will not be ignored. I want to know every single thing about my brother's child."

"Yes master." The shadows all slowly melted away, allowing sunlight to enter the room.

Jiro smiled to himself, Kumiko's words still echoing in his head.

"It is your time now Jiro. You will be the one to lead the Toranaga clan into the light. Don't let this opportunity to slip away from your hands."

--

Flattening the midnight blue dress on her body one last time Kai took a deep breath and glanced at the watch on her night stand, 19:45, she had fifteen more minutes to drive herself crazy before Shuuichi picked her up.

"Kai!"

"What?" she yelled, suddenly irritated by her mother's voice.

"Come here for a second."

Rolling her eyes she grabbed her purse and stomped out to the living room.

"You look very nice Kai-chan! Are you going out? Aine asked with a smile.

Oh goody, psycho is here. "Do you need something mama?" Kai crossed her arms over her chest, completely ignoring Aine.

"I just wanted to fill you in on some details darling." Sachiko smiled gently. "Aine and I finally chose the dresses for the bridesmaids and set a date for the rehearsal dinner. You'll have o tag along on Thursday for the fittings." She checked off a few things on her notepad before looking up at Kai again. "Oh and sweetie, you haven't even begun to pack yet. You know we're moving out next week, you shouldn't put it off anymore."

Kai stared at eh smiling faces of her mother and Aine, trying to comprehend what her mother just said. "What?"

"I told you we're moving out next week, oh you're going to love the new house!" Sachiko clapped her hands together, an expression of bliss on her face.

Kai took a deep breath, trying to control her anger. "Okaa-san, don't you think that it could be just lovely if you bothered to look up from your to-do list for the wedding and made sure that you informed me of tiny little things like, oh, I don't k now…Moving out?" Kai's voice got louder with every word. Letting out a frustrated growl she turned away from her shocked mother and walked out of the front door, slamming it violently behind her.

A light bulb in the hall flickered as Kai stormed by it before exploding with a soft pop as Kai left the building to wait for Shuuichi outside.

* * *

I'm back! Just got a new computer yesterday and currently working like carzy on new chapters. Updates coming soon!

x's&o's


	25. Chapter 25

Chapter 25

Kurama pulled up in front if Kai's building a few minutes early, expecting to use the spare time to go over his plans for the night. He was surprised to find her sitting in the parking lot. Exiting his car he made his way to her in quick strides, sensing the distress that was emanating from her.

"What's wrong?" was the first question that occurred to him.

Kai raised her head to look at him, a weak smile playing at the corners of her mouth.

"You're early." She stood up

Taking a step closer he caressed her bare arm. "What's wrong?" he asked again, watching closely for her reaction.

"It's nothing, really. Just a little fight with my mom, forget about it." This time her wide smile was believable.

"Are you sure?" his hand was still moving slowly up and down her arm, making her shudder slightly.

"Positive."

Kurama nodded, his hand moving to the small of her back as he led her to his car."You look beautiful." he whispered to her before opening the passenger door for her.

They drove in awkward silence for a while, neither of them knowing what to say, only soft music from the radio playing in the background.

Kurama glanced at Kai out of the corner of his eye, she was humming softly and staring out of the window, her hands folded in her lap. She looked stunning in her dress, the fabric softly clung to her body and flattered the creamy tone of her skin. He looked back to the road before he got any more distracted and caused an accident.

"So…" Kai began, turning her head to look at him with a serious expression on her face before she burst out laughing. "This is awkward. I haven't been on a date in a while…What are we supposed to talk about?"

Kurama laughed along with her. "It's been some time since I've been on a first date too. I guess we should talk about ourselves?"

Reaching out gently, Kai held a lock of his hair between her fingers, stroking it lightly. Kurama had to choke back a purr.

"Is this you natural hair color?" she asked, combing through his hair.

A soft tingling ran down his spine, was she testing him?

"Yes." He breathed out, thanking god he could already see the restaurant up ahead.

"Wow." Kai said after stepping out of the car, staring at the restaurant.

As they approached the front door, Kurama's hand held hers, he hadn't let go since offering it to help her out of the car. Her hand was small, warm and soft in his, he didn't want to let go, though he had to in order to open the door for her, his other hand quickly found it's place on the small of her back instead.

"Thank you." Kai whispered and allowed herself to be led inside. She was in a dream like state, was he real? Had she really stumbled upon this mythological creature called – a gentleman?

"I didn't know what you like so I figured Italian would be a safe choice." He smiled as he led her towards the hostess' stand.

"I love Italian food." Kai smiled brightly.

"Hello, a table for two please, the name is Minamino." He smiled politely at the snotty looking hostess, who quickly shot an up and down look at him. He was dressed in black slacks that were just a little tight and a black button-down shirt that made Kai really appreciate how broad and strong his shoulders were. She stopped seeing his beauty as feminine a while ago. Strong, almost royal features were hiding beneath the long hair and the impeccable manners.

The hostess' look turned sour when she glanced at Kai, who stood quietly beside this gorgeous man. What was a little girl like her doing with him? After making a noticeable effort to control her facial expression, she looked over the list of bookings for the night.

"Of course Minamino-san," she led them to a table in a far corner of the restaurant. "Would your little sister like the children's menu?" she asked with such sweetness in her voice that would have made Kai gag if she weren't so busy wishing the floor would collapse and devour this horrible woman.

Kurama cleared his throat and placed his hand over Kai's on the table, stroking it with his thumb, clearly in the hostess' line of vision. "No thank you, but I think my date would like a glass of wine, would Merlot be fine?" he directed the question to Kai, who was staring at him somewhat shocked. He didn't even spare a glance at the hostess, instead he smiled affectionately at Kai.

"Yes." Kai choked out, almost grinning. Really, where did this being come from?

The hostess 'humph'ed and walked away, leaving them to look at their menus.

"Don't think I did that just to spite her. I'm very happy that you accepted my invitation and I plan on making you realize it." He said.

Blushing, Kai pulled her hand away from his, grabbing the napkin and fidgeting with it. Finally looking up she met his questioning gaze. "It's not fair, you're too good at making me nervous." She said with a sigh.

It was Kurama's turn now to blush- rather uncharacteristically. He coughed slightly, not sure how to tell her that whatever influence she thought he had over her , no matter how much he loved hearing that, the influence she had on him was much greater.

The awkward silence made Kai feel self conscious, and she leaned back I her chair, distancing herself from him unconsciously. Clearing her throat she focused her gaze on the table cloth, playing nervously with her hands. Was she being to honest?

"Excuse me, I need to use the ladies' room." She said, getting up and walking away quickly, not giving Kurama a chance to respond.

Kurama followed her with his gaze as she walked away. How does that girl, whose age was barely a second of his life manage to leave him speechless time after time? He was over a thousand years old, and here he was, nervous like a school boy on his first date.

Kai wad drying her hands with a paper towel, taking deep breaths to clam herself down. Tatsuya always hated how straight shooting she tended to be, but even though Shuuichi was the complete opposite of him- did she expect too much? He was a man after all, no matter how outstanding he was. Her mother always told her, jokingly of course, but in every joke there is a pinch of truth, that men don't deal well with her personality.

She fixed her hair in the mirror and nodded to herself. She was determined to make this date work, even if she would have to bite her tongue back and think twice before uttering a single word.

When she returned to the table she found a bottle of wine sitting there and Shuuichi looking over the menu in a thoughtful manner, biting slightly on his lower lip.

Sitting down she picked up her menu and glanced over it absentmindedly, she was so anxious that she didn't feel any hunger. Her eyes skimmed over the text but she didn't take any of it in.

"So Shizuru told me you work as a florist?" she asked casually.

"Yes. I've been planning on starting up my own landscaping business, the shop gives me a chance to build my reputation and make the right connections."

"That's smart. Did you go to business school?"

"No, but I've worked at my step-father's company after I graduated high school." He put away the menu, reached for the bottle and poured wine into her glass.

"Are you ready to order?" the waiter that approached them was a tall and lanky, nervous looking teenager.

Kurama gestured towards Kai, signaling that she should be the first to order.

"I'll have the sea-food Fettuccini." Kai smiled at the boy who was clearly on his first day of work, desperate to impress his boss and the clientele.

"And I'll have the Agnello Scottadita please."

The waiter nodded and grabbed Kai's menu. As he reached for Kurama's menu on the opposite side of the table his trembling hand collided with Kai's wine glass, knocking it over. The three watched in silent shock as the red liquid spread all over the white table cloth and dripped off the table straight onto Kai's lap.

"Shit." She said, jumping out of her seat, staring at the huge stain on her dress in horror.

"I'm so sorry!" the waiter exclaimed, grabbing her napkin and pulling the table cloth along with it, sending all the plates to the floor.

"Please forgive me!" he shouted with tears in his eyes, bowing to them deeply.

Kurama hurried over to Kai's side, gently pulling her away from the broken glass shards around her. "Are you alright?" he looked over her body to try and detect any damage.

"I'm fine." She muttered, still looking down at her dress. "Fuck, Shizuru's going to rip my head off."

"Let me help you!" the waiter approached them in shaky steps.

"No." Kurama said sharply. "We're leaving." Grabbing Kai's hand he led her away from the scene, ignoring the hostess who tried to talk them out of leaving the restaurant, frankly, he didn't even notice her when she approached them to see what all the commotion was about.

Kai followed him, trying to think of what she was going to tell Shizuru when she returns the dress, disappointed by how the date she was dreaming so much of was turning out to be and generally feeling down. Half way through the parking lot she tripped and fell, grazing her knee and almost pulling Kurama down with her.

"God damn it!" she growled, ripping the sandal with the broken heel that was the cause of the tumble, off her foot.

"Are you hurt?" Kurama hurried to crouch down next to his pouting date, who now sat on the asphalt with her legs stretched out before her, viciously glaring at the shoe in her hand.

Finally, Kai raised her head to meet Kurama's eyes and with a defeated tone said "I think that this was, hands down, the worst date I've ever been on." Thinking over her words for a second she added with an apologetic smile "No offence."

"None taken." Kurama nodded smiling and sat down on the concrete across from Kai. "I never knew so many things could go wrong in such a short time." He added, pulling his knees to his chest, watching Kai fishing a pack of cigarettes and a lighter out of her purse after tossing the shoe away violently.

"You don't mind right?" Kai asked and lit the cigarette after getting a nod from him. "In any case, it's not as if I could make myself look any worse in your eyes right now." Kai laughed nervously as Kurama shook his head, chuckling. "What?" she asked, cocking her head to one side.

"Don't worry, if I was bothered by smoking, cursing and violent tendencies I wouldn't have been friends with, well, my friends."

"Yeah, I still don't get that..."

"Force of habit I guess?" he joked, standing up and offering her his hand.

Kai laughed as she stomped out her cigarette with her left foot- the one that still had a shoe on. "Take me home?" she asked, taking his extended hand and using it to pull herself up from the floor. Still leaning on his arm she took off the other shoe and threw it into the bushes where it flopped to join its pair.

They pulled up in front of Kai's building and sat in a comfortable silence for a while.

"I'll walk you up." Kurama said when Kai made a move to open the passenger side door.

"Are you sure?" Kai asked, looking outside the window to make sure Aine's car wasn't there.

"Let me make sure that at least one thing goes right on this evening."

Kai nodded, getting out of the car, feeling calmer now that she knew Aine has already left her house and the evening won't end in homicide.

Standing in front of her apartment door the two stared at each other, hesitating.

"Well…Thanks? I guess…" Kai said, not sure what to do next.

"Thank you for going out with me. I'm sorry this night turns out to be such a disaster."

Kai smiled and gave him a friendly kiss on the cheek before opening the door. "Don't worry about it, good night." She said as she walked in.

"Good night." Kurama said softly, staring at the dark surface of the door Kai had disappeared behind.

Kai let out a sigh she was holding in since they enter the car on their way back. There was absolutely no way he'd ask her out again, she thought. She should feel lucky that they at least ended their night in a friendly fashion, that way seeing him in the future won't be as awkward.

Throwing her purse on the floor, she stared at her reflection in the hallway mirror. Maybe it just wasn't meant to be.

A knock on the door pulled Kai back out of her thoughts. Was it him? Did she forget something in his car?

When she opened the door she didn't see the face she was used to, instead, Shuuichi looked unusually nervous.

Before she could ask him what was the matter, he took her hand and pulled her out to the hallway. Kai stood in silence, puzzled by his actions as he was searching for the right words.

"You make me nervous. I'm shy around you and I'm scared of doing something that will make you hate me, before I get the chance to know you like I want to. I can't be myself when I'm with you…but I can't think about anything else." E finally said, looking her in the eyes with such intensity, her knees began to shake. "Will you give me another chance to try and impress you?" he asked, pulling her closer to his body.

They were so close their chests touched. Kai was speechless, something burned in the pit of her stomach and she felt dizzy from being so close to him. She swallowed the small lump in her throat and brought herself even closer to him until she could feel his breath on her lips. He had her in the palm of his hand, such a smooth talker. "Yeah." She nodded.

Kurama closed the distance between them, his lips crashing against hers, taking in her taste and drinking it as though he'd spent years in the desert. He gently bit on her bottom lip, making her part her lips and grant him entrance. His tongue battled with hers for dominance as he tried to memorize her taste and the feeling of her body pressed against his before he had to tear himself away.

Kai groaned softly at the loss of contact, but pulled away.

"Good night." Kurama whispered before planting another soft kiss on her lips and walked away, a mischievous smile on his face.

"Yeah..." Kai murmured, watching his back in a daze as he walked away. "Good night."

* * *

The big date chapter, god I was so nervous about writing this one! I have to thank my gorgeos friend Ma'ayan (btw, I'm sorry for today, please dont hate me *patheticsadkissupface*) who is willing to be the first to read every chapter and is kind enough to balance me out as an editor.

Hope you guys liked it!

x's&o's


	26. Chapter 26

**Chapter 26**

"She's the one with the black hair boss." The short blue-skinned demon handed a photograph to another. A hand reached out of the dark corner and took it from his shaky hands.

"So that's Kurama's woman?" a deep voice asked. His face was hidden in the shadows and only his feet, clad in black leather boots, were seen.

"You did well Ken." The voice dismissed the blue-skinned demon with a wave of his hand. "I will avenge you, onii-san." He said to himself.

--

Amaya hopped off the bus with a smile. She deemed her visit back home a success, mainly because she was able to avoid her mother's constant nagging about how it was time for her to find a mate and settle down, like a proper daughter of the clan. She wanted grandchildren, as if her older brothers' three boys and two girls weren't enough.

Rolling her eyes at no one in particular, she made her way down the street at a slow pace, not feeling the need to rush as she usually did. She noticed a black blur following her along the rooftops and smiled knowingly, shaking her head at his behavior.

"Hello Napoleon, did you miss me?" she asked as she slammed the door of her apartment and kicked off her shoes.

Hiei was seated on her windowsill, his arms crossed over his chest, staring out of the window. "Napoleon?" he asked, turning to look at her quizzically.

"Never mind." She replied, walking into the kitchen and taking two bottles of water out of the fridge, tossing one of them at Hiei, who caught it with ease.

"You should clean this place up. It smells like something died in here."

"Shut it Emo kid." Amaya grunted, sipping her water. "What are you doing here anyway? Last time I checked stalking can still earn you a night in jail." She asked, moving to stand by him.

"What do you have on Koenma?" he asked, taking his feet off the windowsill to make room for Amaya, who accepted the gesture and took the seat.

"Why are you answering my question with a question?"

"He has a very strong policy about immigration. It would have to be something major if border patrol let you come and go as you please." He pushed on.

"You're not going to answer." Amaya concluded. "I'm not pushing you for information right? So why are you?" her irritation was growing with each second she looked at his blank expression. The nerve he had!

"I don't trust people like you."

"People like me?" Amaya asked, partly confused. "I thought we went over this the last time you dropped by."

"I've had some time to think." Hiei said with a frown.

"I'm not the enemy Hiei. How many times will I have to tell you that to make you realize?" Amaya said calmly as she got up from her place next to him. "You and I, we want the same thing, to protect the people we care about. So why won't you let me do that in peace?"

"Protect from what?"

"God!" she shouted in frustration. "It's like talking to a brick wall!" she marched up to him, seething. Grabbing him by his collar she pulled him up from the windowsill and slammed his back against the wall. "Don't play games with me shorty." She hissed, her eyes flashing dangerously. "I'm running out of patience here." Their faces were so close their noses were touching.

In a second, their positions were reversed and Amaya found herself pressed against the wall, Hiei's katana held to her neck.

"Well this feels awfully familiar." She breathed out.

"Do not threaten me woman." His hot breath caressed her neck as her leaned closer to her ear. "I could kill you in a heartbeat." He pressed the blade closer to emphasize his point. Something other than anger flickered in his eyes, making Amaya's breath catch in her throat.

The heat radiating from his body made her shift uneasily as he pushed his body closed to hers, crushing her body between himself and the wall. A muscle rippled in Hiei's arm and Amaya sucked in a breath as a shallow cut appeared on the side of her neck. Hiei watched the small drop of blood roll down and stop at her collar bone. "I suggest you start watching your mouth or _I _might lose my patience." Hiei whispered. Bowing his head down, his tongue slithered out and met the tiny pool of red, following its path back up Amaya's throat to her jaw and sideward to her earlobe. Capturing it between his teeth he sucked on it before biting down gently. "And I'm rarely this gentle when I lose my patience."

Amaya closed her eyes, the sensation of Hiei's mouth on her skin caused a shiver to run down the length of her body. She breathed in shaky gasps through her parted lips, cursing herself silently for letting her guard down around him and for enjoying this so much. A stifled moan escaped from her mouth, making her curse in her mind once again.

A second later, the heat disappeared. "I suggest you check the back of the fridge." He said with a smirk before vanishing in a blur.

Amaya was left leaning heavily against the wall, her knees were weak and her stomach was in knots. What the hell jet happened?! She pondered, slowly stepping away from the wall and collapsing on the couch, trying to collect herself.

--

The shadow demon smirked. He has witnessed the whole scene from, how embarrassing, the darkness under the very couch the girl was sitting on. His master will definitely repay him generously for this piece of information, but he would have to be patient. Now that he knew the Reikai Tentei were involved, his mission will surely turn out to be a lot more interesting that he expected.

--

Kai had been floating on air ever since she got out of bed. What started as the biggest FML moment of her life, turned out to be the greatest night of all.

Sachiko wasn't sure what to expect after Kai's reaction to her news the previous night, and to say she was surprised when Kai greeted her with her brightest smile and music in her voice when she waltzed into the kitchen that morning, would be an understatement. Sachiko watched with wide eyes as Kai poured herself a cup of coffee and walked out to the small balcony, humming all the while.

Exhaling the smoke from her lungs, Kai watched as it curled beautifully in the still, early morning air. A silly tune was stuck in her head and she couldn't hold back the smile that brightened her features. She watched the few people on the street below her, some on their way to work and some only now heading home. The goodnight kiss the received last night floated vividly in her memory and clutching the railing in her hands, she threw her head back and yelled "Good morning everyone!" laughing as a few people jumped slightly, staring at the wild haired girl grinning at them from above.

A strong wave of nausea suddenly hit her, making Kai fall back into her seat. Maybe she was being so giddy she was actually making herself sick?

Moments later the sick feeling disappeared, and putting out her cigarette she walked back in, still humming softly, but turning down the voltage of her smile.

--

"You're back!" Kai exclaimed as Amaya walked into the locker room.

"I meant to call but I got… distracted." Amaya smiled apologetically. "How was life without me?" she asked, returning Kai's hug.

"Unbearable, I cried myself to sleep every night." Kai said very seriously as she pulled a frilly apron out of her locker.

"Yeah, it's really showing…did you forget what a moisturizer is too?"

Kai laughed as she sat down, waiting for Amaya to finish changing. "Bitch."

"I love you too sister." Amaya smiled, blowing a kiss at Kai. "So really, what were you up to?"

"Well…Shuuichi and I went out on a date yesterday." Kai beamed.

"Oh?" Amaya stopped pulling on her dress and stared at her friends, her arms in the air.

"Mmhm." Kai giggled at her.

"Well...Details!" Amaya yelled, waving her hands in the air.

--

Kurama was humming in the shower. He hummed while pouring himself a cup of coffee and while he was getting dressed. The thought of Kai pressed against his body kept him humming on his way to work, rising more than a few eyebrows. Eventually one of his coworkers, Rika, a chubby girl with huge eyes told him to go and call the girl before she stuffed her fist down his throat.

He knew he wanted to see her again soon, but he didn't know if calling her the next day would be the right thing to do. She was different, refreshing, maybe because she was so young. She made him feel nineteen, his human age, and normal, something he has never been. He didn't want to chase her away.

On the other hand, maybe being straight forward with her wouldn't be such a bad idea. He never hesitated about getting what he wanted before, and he wasn't about to start now.

With this decision set firmly in his mind, he pulled out his cell phone and walked to the back of the workroom, responding to Rika's nod of approval with a nod of his own.

--

Kai watched the young couples that filled up the café this particular morning with a soft smile. She was always rooting for young love, but normally the lovey-dovey atmosphere would've chased her out of the room.

Shuuichi made her feel wanted, like she was the center of his attention. He saw more in her than just another airheaded party girl. Maybe this time she finally stumbled upon something real. Something vibrated in her pocket and she retrieved the object, releasing a squeal.

'Meet me at the flower shop at 21:00' with directions to the store. The text message she received was from the very person she was thinking about not a moment ago.

Smiling brightly she continued about her day, only she wasn't really there. In her mind she was in Shuuichi's arms, his voice soft in her ears, and she smiled at every person she passed.

--

It seemed like he spent over half his time in the Ningenkai on rooftops. That is, when he wasn't with one of his teammates or at the temple – quietly watching over his sister.

'Do you have a precious person?' that pain in the ass youkai asked him once. He could understand her wanting to protect Kai, but why? Why would a human girl need protection from the daughter of a well known clan in the Makai?

It bothered him, something in his gut told him her story wasn't as simple as that (but when has his life ever been simple?) and now, thanks to the oaf's father, everything he has come to cherish over time was facing some invisible threat. Why couldn't she understand that in keeping whatever secret she had, she was putting herself and Ka in more danger? She couldn't see that he could and wanted to help her.

The blonde was a frequent visitor in his mind now and the events of the morning did nothing to help with that. He gripped the metal bar he was leaning against harder, hearing it groan softly under his grip.

Shaking his head in agitation, he disappeared from the spot he was standing at, thinking that maybe some time in Genkai's forest would help him clear his mind.

--

The blue skinned demon rubbed his hands together, chuckling darkly as he watched the grey eyed girl walk into her building. His master would be pleased with how quickly he located her.

The sun was slowly setting behind him. He had spent hours staking her house and he was getting restless, but his mission demanded some patience and patient he will be until the time to make his move came.

A few hours later, the girl finally left the building. The only source of light on the street was the few street lights in the parking lot, which struck him as weird, as the neighborhood was the best Tokyo had to offer, but not half bad. But who was he to question fate, it only made his job easier.

His steps matched hers as he closed the distance between them.

She froze as she felt a breath in the nape of her neck but didn't have a time to respond as the blow to her head knocked her out.

"Oh, master will be so pleased." He cooed, lifting the girl over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. Making sure he stayed in the shadows, he hummed a happy tune all the way to his master's hide out, Kai a dead weight over his shoulder.

* * *

Dun-dun-dunnn.

x's&o's


	27. Chapter 27

**Chapter 27**

The roomwas dark, but not cold, and silent except for the sound of steady breathing and water dripping on the already wet floor.

"Very good Ken, I'm pleased." The demon was still hidden in the dark. "Now go and pass on the message."

He continued to watch the girl as the other demon left. What did Kurama see in this human? He wondered as she slowly began to stir.

The first thing Kai noticed when she came to was that her hands and feet were tied to the chair she was sitting on, but what scared her more was that she could feel someone staring at her from the darkness that surrounded her. "Where am I?" she asked in a trembling voice, straining her eyes in an attempt to see in the dark

"Don't worry young human, I will not kill you until it is absolutely necessary." The deep voice said and stepped closer to allow Kai to see him. "I am Yuudai." Taking another step closer he said "And I will be the one to kill your precious Kurama."

"What the fuck are you?" Kai flinched away at the sight of his gray skin and three horns that stuck out of his forehead. "And who the hell is Kurama?"

Kurama stood outside the flower shop glancing nervously at his watch. Kai was fifteen minutes late already and there was no sign of her. Maybe she decided to stand him up? Maybe their date last night just served to satisfy her curiosity and now she decided that she wasn't interested. He looked up when he sensed weak youki coming his way. On second thought, maybe she didn't.

The moment the youkai appeared before him, Kurama's thorn whip was already binding his body, carefully applying pressure on his neck.

"Yuudai-sama requests your presence if you want your woman to live." The blue skinned demon in front of him smirked even though he began choking,

Kurama growled, his whole body tense, as he debated whether he should rip the messenger apart and just wing it from there or if he should use some of his legendary patience and do that properly once Kai was safe. Eventually' he decided the second option would be the wiser choice, especially with Kai on the hands of some unknown demon. Maybe he should let the rest of the team know.

"Lead the way." he hissed at the smirking demon, releasing him from his whip, making sure to leave a fair amount of scratches behind to remind him of what his future looks like.

"Oh dear girl, that is rich." Yuudai laughed with delight. "Are you saying that you are seeing one of the most powerful demons in the world, a legendary thief and Yomi's right hand and you know nothing about it?" standing in front of her, he tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "You humans have about as much clue as puppies." He chuckled when Kai flinched away from his touch.

"What are you talking about you freak? Demons? What the fuck are you on?" He was insane, he had to be. Kai quivered with fear, but she'd be damned if she didn't try as hard as she could to hide it from him.

"I see that you need a demonstration…" Yuudai said, shrugging his shoulders. "Well, I guess we have some time before you boyfriend arrives" he said before snapping his fingers and fading into the darkness.

Kurama ran after the blue skinned demon, getting more agitated by the minute. They had been running for the better part of an hour, and the demon was leading him to the outskirts of town, Kurama hasn't sensed any youki, except for the one he was currently following, for miles. How far could the hideout be? How long have they had Kai in their hands?

The unfamiliar sense of panic was slowly taking over as it dawned on him how ridiculously stupid he was in his approach to the situation. He had no idea how many demons there were in the hideout, or how strong they were, hell, he didn't even know if Kai was still alive. While he had complete confidence in both his tactical and physical abilities, he didn't have time to analyze the situation properly and now he was literally running into a trap.

"Fuck." He cursed uncharacteristically while pulling out the communicator out o his pocket. Glancing at the demon running up ahead of him, he figured he didn't have time to properly explain the situation to any of his teammates, but if Hiei saw his name on the caller ID of his communicator it would be enough for him to figure out he's needed. Kurama pressed the button and waited a few seconds before hanging up and placing the object back in his pocket.

"I would want to be a bit faster if I were in your position." The demon yelled over his shoulder. "Yuudai-sama's patience has its limits." He chuckled.

Kurama clenched his teeth, picking up his pace. Well Yuudai-sama will have the pleasure of finding out just how patient Kurama could be when he needed to teach someone a lesson or two.

Kai held back a scream as the walls of the room and the floor around her caught on fire.

"You see…" the deep voice seemed to have no solid source."The world as you know it is only one third of what actually is, and by far the weakest part."

The fire was unnaturally slowly creeping towards her feet. Kai was dripping sweat, but oddly there was no smoke.

"The Reikai is what you would call the afterlife, or heaven, and it is ruled by Enma's idiot son."

The flames were licking Kai's feet now, making her scream in agony. "Stop." She whimpered, tears rolling down her face before she screamed again, the pain too much for her to bear.

"And the Makai is what your worst nightmares are made of. It is ruled by demons like myself." He stopped speaking for a moment in order to enjoy her screams of pain. "And like your little boyfriend."

The scene changed now and ice-cold water was filling the room around her. Kai could barely comprehend his words, but she heard him loud and clear beyond the roars of agony in her mind, it was almost as he was speaking from inside her head.

"We are ruthless killers, driven only by blood-lust, hate and revenge."

The water was freezing and Kai couldn't stop crying. This had to be some sort of nightmare, she thought, as it covered her head.

"Kurama would be the best example, as he is the reason you're here."

Frozen hands gripped both her neck and her heart. God please make this end, she prayed as the air escaped her lungs and her face contorted in a silent scream.

"You see, he killed my brother."

At once the water was gone and the room became an endless desert of gray. Kai gasped in relief, her whole body trembling in shock.

"So I'm going to kill him." Yuudai appeared in front of her again, sitting on the floor with his arms resting on his knees. "You might not believe it now, but I truly am sorry you got caught up in the cross fire. If by any chance you get out of here alive this will surely be a valuable lesson, I assure you." He pulled himself up from the floor and approached the quivering body on the chair. "You will then thank me for saving you from the ruthless creature that is Youko Kurama."

"Don't touch me!" Kai screamed as he reached out to touch her tear stricken cheek.

Yuudai watched in shock as lightning bolts erupted violently from her body, dancing beautifully around her before shooting at him.

"A…Youkai…?" he whispered as he fell to the ground. The electricity surrounded him, his body twitching on the floor as all the life leaked out of him.

Kai watched in horror as the blots attacked his clearly lifeless body again and again before freezing in mid air. She screamed again as the blues arrows rushed towards her and struck her right in the chest and then everything went black.

Hiei was only a few short miles away from Kurama. His long time teammate and former partner in crime had the right idea in mind and Hiei was out of the door as soon as the communicator went off. He could see the flaming red of Kurama's hair as he quickened his pace to finally catch up with him.

"What's going on fox?" he asked, joining Kurama's side and eyeing the blue-skinned demon ahead of them.

Said demon stopped running and turned around sharply. Just as he opened his mouth to speak, the three felt someone's youki spike from the other side of town. It was a fierce explosion, the energy so primal and uncontrolled that it had to be felt by every demon in the city.

"Kai." Kurama growled.

"Ken blinked and the next thing he knew he was face to face with a livid fox demon. "You lied to me." He hissed, squeezing his victim's blue neck. The weaker demon stared wide eyed as golden flecks appeared in Kurama's eyes.

"Control yourself." Hiei barked, receiving only a sneer in return.

In a lighting fast motion Kurama snapped the demons neck and was already running in the direction the energy came from.

"What the fuck are you waiting for?" he spat at Hiei.

If something happened to Kai, that poor bastard won't escape Kurama's wrath even in the afterlife, Hiei thought as he silently ran by his side.

Amaya looked up from her book when she felt the youki jolt not too far from her place. There was something awfully familiar about it. Tossing her book aside she threw on her jacket, ready to investigate.

"It's almost…" the truth dawned on her before she could finish the sentence. She knew perfectly well whose youki it reminded her of.

Amaya was almost hysterical as she sensed two immensely strong figures approaching her quickly, their destination clearly the same as her own.

"Move." She felt relieved when she recognized the voice that commanded her to move away from the door she was about to break down.

"She had heard only rumors of their power, but now, as she followed the two Reikai Tentei, she was truly amazed.

They said nothing as the rushed into the warehouse, hell-bent on killing anyone in their sight, but the scene they came upon as they crashed into the last room caught all three off guard.

Amaya rushed towards the slumped over figure that was Kai, but Kurama beat her to it, He untied her hands and feet and gently cradled her in his arms.

The three stared at the charred body lying on the floor in silence. Amaya shifted uneasily when she felt the weight if her companions' gaze on her but couldn't tear her eyes away from the corpse.

Kurama pressed Kai closer to his body before speaking. "We're taking her to Genkai's." his tone was eerily serene. "You have a lot of explaining to do, and I'm sure the rest of the team will be more than happy to hear it as well."

* * *

My my...

xs&os


	28. Chapter 28

Chapter 28

Genkai looked up impassively from her tea when Kurama and Hiei burst through the door with a blonde youkai in tow and another one, who seemed to be passed out, in Kurama's arms. None of this surprised her as she sensed them miles before they arrived at her lands, but the distraught looks on both Kurama and the unfamiliar youkai's faces made her raise an eyebrow. She watched Kurama gently laid the unconscious girl on the couch, moving a strand of hair from her face in a subtle gesture.

"Get Yukina." He said once he made sure she was comfortably placed on the soft, sage-green sofa.

Hiei nodded before disappearing to search the grounds to Genkai's assistant.

"Who is she?" Genkai asked once Hiei was out of the room, approaching the girl and checking her vitals.

"This is Kai," Kurama said, nodding towards the unconscious girl whose form he was guarding. "She's Kuwabara's step sister."

"Uh-huh." Gankai nodded, knowing that the girl being his teammate's step sister was probably the last thing she was to him, but choosing not to push the subject. "And you are?" she looked at the blonde youkai who seemed to be on the verge of tears.

"Watanabe Amaya, Genkai-sama." The girl bowed so deeply her nose almost touched her knees."

"A Toranaga." Gankai nodded. "Well, you boys always make the most unexpected friendships." She muttered to herself before turning to Amaya again. "There is no need for such formalities girl. Just call me Genkai."

The introduction was cut short when Yukina rushed into the room, followed closely by Hiei.

"Kurama-san, what happened?" she asked as she kneeled next to the couch.

Kurama coughed uneasily, shifting his weight from one foot to the other. "We're not entirely sure. She was unconscious when we found her."

"Yukina, get the girl to another room." Gankai commanded. "All of us staring at her will not make her wake up sooner. I assume the clowns are on the way?"

"I spoke with the detective on the way." Hiei confirmed.

Yukina stepped back as Kurama moved to pick Kai up, pressing her close to him. He threw a glance at Amaya who sank into the couch and buried her face in her hands.

"She will be alright Kurama-san." Yukina assured him once they were in another room. "From what I see it's nothing serious, she's drained from her youki, but it's not life threatening."

Kurama only nodded in response, his eyes fixed on Kai's pale face which seemed ghostly against the white sheets of the futon. He was used to accept the unexpected and illogical over the few hundred years of his life, but how would Kai react to the fact that everyone around her are at least psychic, including herself?

Kurama shook his head as he left to allow Yukina to treat Kai. This evening was getting more and more complicated by the minute.

Kuwabara burst, no, crashed into Shizuru's room followed immediately by Yusuke, making Shizuru look up in surprise from her book. She was about to yell at her brother and his idiot friend for the intrusion, but stopped herself once she saw the tension and urgency in their faces.

"Get your coat." Kuwabara barked at her.

"What happened?" Shizuru immediately got up, dropping the book in the process, and followed the boys out of her room. Seeing those two with such serious expressions could only ever mean bad news.

Kuwabara grit his teeth and clenched his fists as the three hastily made their way out of the apartment, clearly not about to give Shizuru any answers.

"Hiei called and told us to come to Genkai's ASAP. Kai's there too." Yusuke explained as they got to the elevator. He patted himself down in search of his cigarettes, avoiding Shizuru's eyes. "She's knocked out and they're not sure what happened." He glanced at his fuming friend before quickly adding "But I'm sure she's fine, they wouldn't have waited so long to contact us if something serious happened."

"What!" Shizuru's eyes almost flew out of their sockets as she pushed Yusuke aside quite violently to face her brother. "What happened?" She asked again, this time with a dangerous edge to her voice that made Yusuke really glad he wasn't the one to face her.

"I don't know, okay?" Kuwabara snapped. He rarely let his anger get the best of him, but Kurama had a lot of explaining to do. Kuwabara had been supportive when the fox-demon considered asking Kai out, and while both knew the risk of being affiliated with them, he trusted Kurama to protect Kai. Kuwabara could only take some comfort in the knowledge that whoever hurt Kai didn't stay alive long enough to say "I'm sorry" and his death was not a painless one. His long time friendship with Kurama assured him of that.

The atmosphere is the car pressed heavily on the trio and the engine roared as they sped through the night. None of them could, or wanted, to speak and even the relatively short drive seemed to stretch over years.

"I knew something like this would happen." Shizuru bitterly mumbled to herself, anger pulsing through her veins. She kept her eyes on the road, appearing almost calm, but she could barely hold herself back from screaming in frustration. They should have known something like this will eventually happen.

Shizuru was mad at herself for keeping their situation a secret. Did they all honestly think that Kai could be kept in the dark forever? They never even discussed the question, and no one seemed to mind it. What will happen now that Kai found out about the existence of demons in what seemed to be the worst possible way?

Shizuru bit her lip, and gripping the steering wheel tighter, she floored the gas pedal, much to the discomfort of her old car, both dreading and anticipating the answer.

The large living room was nothing if not tense. Kurama didn't take his eye off the sliding door the lad to the room in which Yukina was currently healing Kai. She wasn't physically hurt, except for a bruise on her head (at this point Kurama had to wonder whether she was the lucky one, or was it Yuudai who, without doubt would enjoy dying twice), but Kurama was more concerned by the fact that the youki spike that apparently killed the bastard came from the fragile looking girl he held in his arms only a few minutes ago.

Kurama tore his eyes away from the door to look at Amaya. She was sitting on the edge of the couch with her eyes planted in the hardwood floor, her fingers gripping her bare knees in anxiety. By the guilt that colored her face, he figured it would be safe to assume she knew why her seemingly human best friend was producing youki all of a sudden. In any other situation he would have been curious as to why she was throwing nervous glances at Hiei, and would have teased his friend endlessly about the nature of his relationship with the blonde, but right now he just didn't give, as Yusuke would put it, a flying fuck.

He visibly flinched when the door slid open almost silently, taking him by surprise.

"She will need a lot of rest." Yukina's gentle voice announced when she joined them. "I fed her some of my youki, but I'm afraid she has exhausted herself completely. It will take a while for her to regain her strength and she won't be able to use any of her youki for at least a week."

Kurama breathed a sigh of relief at the news, there was no permanent damage. Throwing a sideway glance at Amaya he saw her do the same. He couldn't say he trusted her completely, but his opinion of her apparently wasn't half as harsh as Hiei's, who glared at her from his stop against the wall. Though if he ever learned something, it was that things were rarely what they seemed.

Sensing two very familiar energies, he looked up in time to hear the front door slam shut.

"Where is she?" Shizuru's growl could compete with Hiei's on a bad hair day as she marched into the room to stand in front of Kurama, grabbing the collar of his shirt and poking his chest quite painfully with her finger. "What did you do?" her assault was now aimed at Amaya, though she never released her death grip on the collar of Kurama's shirt.

"Dude, it's like The Exorcist" Yusuke whispered to Kuwabara, trying to blend into the wall as he caught sight of Shizuru's eyes.

This was one of the rare moments in Amaya's life when she didn't know what to say.

"She didn't do anything." The help came from the most unexpected source, Hiei.

Amaya turned to look at him, partly grateful for his intervening for once, but the meaning of those words for her stung harder than he intended. She did nothing, she failed not only Kai and her uncle, but herself too in her inability to protect her cousin.

"Hiei's right." Kuwabara joined in. "Shizuru, back down." He was just as mad as his sister, but he didn't feel the need to throw accusations in every direction until they had the whole story. "Kurama, explain."

As Kurama began to relay the events of the evening, Amaya took her time to study the faces of the group around her. Everyone except for Hiei appeared worried out of their wits. It's funny, she thought not without bitterness, how over the course of barely three months every person in this room thinks they know her better than I do.

"What do you mean, you found him dead?" she heard Kuwabara ask "Who killed him?"

The rumors in the Makai described him as a fierce warrior, though lacking in the brains department. Amaya chuckled to herself almost darkly, perhaps he wasn't as quick-witted and sharp-tongued as the fox thief whose name still sowed fear in the hearts of even the cruelest demons, but here he was, a better protector than she could ever be. This thought pained her and put her at ease at the same time.

"So she's a demon…" Shizuru trailed off, her eyes jumping momentarily to meek Amaya's.

"A half-demon." Yukina corrected.

Amaya felt numerous eyes on her and sighed. The couch sank as Shizuru lowered herself to sit next to her.

"Let me guess," she said turning her head to look at Amaya again. "she doesn't know."

"No."

"Is this why you have to protect her?" Kuwabara asked as he stepped closer, no longer afraid of losing his temper.

"Yes." Amaya said after a few seconds. Hiei gave a dissatisfied grunt behind her, but she ignored it knowing he expected a detailed answer she just wasn't about to give.

"Why?" Yukina asked, genuinely curious "Why not tell her?"

"The reasons are not mine to give." Amaya wanted nothing more than to avoid this conversation and hoped they would settle this answer, but no such luck.

"But if she knew we could train her, help her control her powers, whatever they may be." Kuwabara said. "What if something like this happens again?"

"It won't." Amaya said calmly, although a slight twitch of her eye told a different story. "She's not supposed to know, she can't know." She added almost in a whisper, her calm façade crumbling like a sandcastle in the tide.

"And how do you plan on explaining this to her?" Shizuru asked angrily. "This sort of thing was bound to happen eventually! Did you think you could keep the truth from her all of her life?"

The blonde bit her lip, lowering her gaze in a guilty manner, but said nothing.

"We have to tell her." Shizuru said decisively.

"You think that telling Kai her whole life had been a lie , that her own being is something she believes to exist only in fairytales, is going to make things right? You think that she would be better off finding out she's been lied to her whole life? So you have any idea what it would do to her?" Amaya spat at the brown eyed girl. "You may think you're sisters now, but you don't have the right to pretend you know her better than I do." Standing up she began to leave the room, but paused at the doorway. "I'm her family, not you." She said before walking out.

The room went completely silent as everyone stared at the doorway where Amaya stood not a minute ago.

"We don't even know if that Yuudai type told her anything about demons." Yusuke said once the initial shock settled. "I mean, we could be having this discussion for nothing."

"Then why did she use her youki?" Kuwabara countered.

"She was scared, emotional… We can't know what happened until she wakes up." Yusuke reasoned as he sat down on the floor, pulling out a pack of cigarettes. If things continued to move in this direction, he would have to let go of his plans of quitting, he thought.

"Yes we can." Shizuru joined in. "At least he can." She said, pointing towards the wall where Hiei stood, or at least, was supposed to stand. Glancing around the room she realized that Hiei was no longer there with them.

"Where did shorty go?" Kuwabara asked, checking behind the couch, half expecting to find the raven haired man hiding there.

Standing on the veranda Amaya stared at the dark sky. The wind was blowing her hair all around her face, and although she wore a thin t-shirt, she didn't seem to feel the cold.

"What do you want?" she asked when she sensed his presence. "Don't you get tired of harassing people?"

"Hn."

"You really need to come up with a better answer." Turning around she faced the red-eyed demon. "I'm not just being stubborn. I'm trying to protect her." She was almost on the verge of tears again. Oh how she hated herself for becoming so weak.

"I know." Was his reply.

"It will ruin everything if she finds out what I am…"

Then she doesn't have to.""

Amaya stared at him I shock. He puzzled her, one moment she was public enemy number one, the next he was pressing her up against a wall in a way that made her want to rip off his clothes and have her way with him on the cold tiled floor of the apartment. Fire and ice, the forbidden child. "How?"

"Simple." He took a step closer and she could feel the heat radiating off his body. "We won't tell her."

"She can't know that she was the one that killed Yuudai." Amaya added in a whisper. "This was never supposed to happen., the seal was meant to keep her youki dormant."

Hiei frowned, he related too much to the situation to refuse her wish, but if something like this happens again… "We'll see about that." His fingers found a strand of her hair and he twirled it around his digit a couple of times before letting go, watching the delicate curl bounce back into its place before focusing his gaze on her face again. Her green eyes held too much promise in them, he concluded as his mouth descended on hers.

"My, my…" Jiro said once the shadow demon slipped out of his room and back to the human world. "This is bound to get interesting." Caressing the face in the picture that lay in front of him he chuckled darkly. "Maybe you will be of some use for me, dear niece."

Kumiko closed her eyes, pretending to be asleep, as he crawled into the bed. 'Not for long.' She resisted the urge to rip off the hand that lay across the back. 'All your pitiful clan will soon get what it deserves.'


	29. Chapter 29

**Chapter 29**

The first thing Kai heard once she came to was, well, nothing. Afraid to open her eyes she breathed in deeply, expecting to smell smoke, but the room she was in smelled nice, a trace of fabric softener still rising from the sheets. She was on a bed, Kai realized, she was safe, he was gone.  
Kai cautiously opened her eyes to a thin crack. The room around her was dark, not unlike the room she remembered and without a warning, panic came rushing through her veins. This was an illusion, he had her trapped in another illusion. Her pulse quickened as she glanced around the small room, hearing sounds and voices not far from it, her anxiety grew at the thought of there being more than one demon near her. She felt her hands get clammy with sweat, but she couldn't move from the futon she was on, her every muscle turned to stone.  
A movement in the shadows seemed to break her binds and Kai started thrashing around, still struggling to get up.

"No! No!" she screamed, finally tearing the comforter off her body. "Let me go!" she crawled back towards the wall, pulling her knees to her chest as tears streamed down her face.  
"Kai!"  
"No!" she cringed from the sound of the familiar voice. It was a trick, she knew it.  
"Kai! Kai, it's me!"  
"Don't touch me!" Kai screamed once the Amaya look-alike tried to touch her hand.  
"For fuck's sake!" Amaya yelled back in frustration. "Kai, listen its me Amaya." She started again, calmer this time. Both girls had tears in their eyes and neither noticed the group of people standing awkwardly behind them. "Come on Kai, I know you recognize me." Amaya whispered, trying to stable her voice. "When you were ten you tried to rescue a cat out of a tree and fell, that's how you got that scar on your knee," crawling closer Amaya was glad that Kai didn't cringe, but peered at her with caution. "And when you were eleven, Noboru confessed to you. He was 15, but you said no because Cho had a crush on him. She moved away two weeks later."  
"You're not an illusion?" Kai asked tentatively.  
"You're allergic to kiwi." Amaya grinned. "Your face turns red and bloated if you eat one and you look like a tomato for a week.""It is you!" Kai cried out as she lunged herself into her friend's embrace.  
Kurama coughed slightly to get their attention and when both girls turned to look at him, asked the question that was on everybody's minds. "Kai, do you remember what happened?"  
"Shuuichi?" Kai blinked in confusion, only them realizing the small room was crowded with people, standing in a semi-circle around Amaya and herself."Wait, where are we?" How did I get here? What are you guys doing here?"  
Amaya sent a pleading look in Shizuru's direction as she pulled Kai to her feet. "Can you stand?" she asked, wrapping her arm around her friend's waist to support her.  
"Yeah…" Kai nodded, but put her hand on Amaya's shoulder as she straightened up. "Amaya, what's going on? How did I get here?"  
"You have to tell us what happened first." Shizuru said as she followed the pair out of the guest room.  
Rubbing her forehead Kai looked around in confusion. For the first time she noticed a young girl with blue hair and red eyes, no unlike Hiei's, and an older woman with pale pink hair. The blue haired girl smiled at her and Kai realized that neither she nor Hiei were wearing contact lenses as she thought as first.  
"Oh God." She mumbled as realization seeped in. "You're demons too?" she asked, looking between the two of them.  
Shizuru and Kuwabara exchanged glances and both rushed to her side when she began taking steps backwards, away from them.  
"Kai it's alright…" Shizuru said as she put her hand on the younger girl's shoulder.  
"You're safe here." Kuwabara assured her, trying to guide her towards the couch.  
"Kai," Kurama kneeled in front of her once she was seated, "I promise to explain everything, but you have to tell us what happened first." She was looking at him with suspicion in her eyes and something else mixed in. Fear maybe? The thought hurt him.  
Kai hesitated before speaking, looking up from Shuuichi's hand on her knee (why did everybody keep touching her?), the faces around her seemed unfamiliar, almost sinister. She breathed in deeply. "I remember walking home… I thought I heard someone walking behind me, I stopped and then everything went dark." She rubbed the back of her neck and glanced around once more.  
Kurama's eyes were glued to her face as his thumb gently rubbed her leg in a soothing motion. He realized he had no way to predict this, but he wished he could have been there, he wished he could protect her.  
"When I woke up I was in a dark room, tied to a chair." Kai continued shakily. "And there was this youkai, Yuudai, he said his name is Yuudai." Her brows creased in concentration before she met Kurama's eyes. "Wait, what happened to him?"  
"He's dead." Hiei stated plainly.  
Kai's mouth formed a small 'o', but in a way the lack of emotion in Hiei's voice had an appeasing effect and a sharp contrast to the worried –apprehensive looks and words of everybody else around her. Kai wasn't sure she wanted to know exactly what happened. "He said something about me being "Kurama's woman" and started talking about demons and revenge…"  
Kurama completely tuned out the rest of her sentence. "Kurama's woman". He sighed, removing his hand from her leg he stood up and walked to stand next to Hiei. He heard all that he needed to hear to confirm his worst fear, she was taken because of him.  
"Fox." Hiei interrupted his thoughts before they had the chance to spiral downwards. His look, as always, said "Don't be stupid", and Kurama drew strength from his friend, who seemed to be the only one left unaffected by the turn of events.  
"One minute the room was on fire and the next I was drowning." Kai's voice was now shaking and she wished Shuuichi would come sit next to her and hold her hand.  
"An illusionist." Yuusuke concluded.  
Kai nodded in understanding. "I don't know what happened after that, only that I woke up here." She finished her tale with a shrug.  
"We found you and brought you here." Hiei said after a moment of silence. Maybe he wasn't the best for the job, but someone had to explain things to the girl.  
"How did you find me?"  
"his minion sought us out, we followed him to the warehouse and found you." Hiei shrugged.  
"But why?" Kai asked, perplexed.  
"He was looking for me." Kurama finally pushed himself off the wall knowing that what he was about to say could cost him any chance of a future with her. "I am Kurama."  
Genkai motioned with her head and silently the group left the room, leaving the uncharacteristically quiet Kai and the thoughtful-looking fox demon alone.

"Kai…" the words died in his throat as she refused to meet his eyes. Kurama remained planted in his spot, not daring to approach the raven-haired girl.  
"He said you killed his brother." Kai whispered.  
The fright in her voice was the very reason Kurama never told his family about who he really was. He had done too much, killed too many. How could he tell them he couldn't remember even half the faces, not to say names, of those who he killed, that he had no way of knowing which one of them was Yuudai's brother.  
"Did you?" there was a flicker of hope, a tiny spark in her eyes that made him want to lie to her, assure her it was not true and that his hands were clean of blood. But he couldn't, he would not. He had to tell her the truth.  
"I did." He nodded, dodging her gaze. "I probably did." He added after some thought.  
Kai was caught in a mixture of confusion and fear, and now rage. She thought that she had this quiet man all figured out and in one night the bubble of everything she thought was true had burst.  
"What do you mean, you probably did?" she lashed out. She wished she would have stayed in bed all day.  
For the first time in his life, Kurama didn't have all the answers. He made a move to approach Kai, but when she flinched as the motion he remained in his place. It stung, he wanted desperately to touch her and comfort her, bet there was no other way. If there was any chance for them to get past this, she had to know the whole truth and see for herself if she could accept it.  
"What did he tell you?" Kurama asked.  
"That demons are ruthless killers, driven by hate and revenge." Kai cited.  
"That is true, for the most part." Kurama agreed. "But not all of us, and not me, or Yuusuke, or even Hiei. Not in this life."  
"In this life?"  
Kurama spent almost two hours explaining to her about the Reikai Tentei and how they were formed. He told her about the barrier between the worlds and that it was their job, not officially as they no longer worked for Koenma, to find the demons with dreams of grandeur and power and get rid of them.  
"Like demonic exterminators?" she asked and he had to laugh at the comparison.  
"In a way, I presume."  
He left out the bulk of his life in the Makai, and most of their adventures as a team, as it would take him the better part of a week to tell them all, but he was completely honest and she listened without showing signs that she was about to take off in a run. He took it as a good sign.  
"So?" Can you accept me? He asked once he was done laying out his life. He didn't expect her to understand right away and crash into his arms, which she didn't, but he had to know.  
"I…" Kai was at a loss for words. The mere amount of information she consumed during the last few hours was almost too much to take. "I have to think." She breathed out eventually.  
This was more than he had hoped for. "I understand." He said.

For a week Kai spoke to no one. She ignored Shizuru's calls, Kuwabara's emails and her mother's pleas to talk to her, to explain what happened that made her lock herself in her room and cut off all contact with the outside world. Shuuichi, no, Kurama (she corrected herself every time, still trying to get used to the name, and said it out loud a few times to see how it rolled off her tongue) didn't try to contact her, and for that she was grateful. She even refused to see Amaya, somehow the idea of sharing theories about the demonic realm with her best friend carried no attraction to her.  
But reflecting and digesting her newly found knowledge was not the only reason for her distance. The headaches and vertigos she began experiencing as of late only got worse, now turning into full blown migraines and paralyzing dizzy spells that left her, on more than one occasion, immobile for a few minutes on the same spot she landed. At first Kai tried to pass it off as a virus, or some sort of post-traumatic stress disorder, but when the lamp in her room began flickering along with her mood swings and the blow-dryer shot sparks at her touch (twice), Kai had only two options left to consider. Either she went completely bonkers and needed to be institutionalized as soon as possible, or there was something very, very wrong with her.  
Kai had no idea how this demonic thing worked, but a thought had formed in the back of her mind and remained there, like a shadow that followed her every movement.

It took Amaya barely two days to seek him out. During those two days Kai refused to answer her calls or open her bedroom door. She was worried, naturally, but eventually figured that maybe Kai should be left alone with her thoughts for a short while.  
There was no immediate danger to her cover, but the questions were burning in her mind. Why haven't they revealed the truth about her to Kai? She could direct those questions at Shizuru, who seemed eager to reveal the whole truth, but Amaya chose to present then to Hiei instead.  
Her reasoning has been that in spite their apparent mistrust and dislike for each other, they eventually reached some form of mutual understanding. And then there was the kiss.  
Surprisingly, the task turned out to be easier then she expected and she found him on a rooftop just two blocks away from her cardboard box of an apartment.  
"Ah, the work of an heir never ends." She drew out coolly as she approached his figure. "I expected Mukuro-sama to keep you on a tighter leash, but here you are, roaming the Ningenkai without a care in the world."  
The only form of acknowledgement she got was an irritated grunt as she leaned on the railing next to him. He wasn't much of a talker she learned, but that was fine with her. She could do the talking for them both.  
"You Reikai Tentei are one lively bunch." She commented casually, stealing a glance at his profile. "Although I do have to thank you, I guess."  
His face remained emotionless, but the slight shrug of his shoulders told her he was listening. She wasn't completely sure if she was thanking him for coming to the rescue or for how it appeared, convincing his friends to keep their mouths shut a task that proved to be nearly impossible for the lot of them. "I don't know what I would have done if she found out, or even worse, if something happened to her." She confessed.  
"What kind of demon is she?"  
His gruff voice surprised her, but she smiled internally. "Elemental, like the rest of the clan." It came out before she had a chance to think. Her eyes shot open before she cursed. "Fuck."  
"Hn. I figured as much." There was no surprise that she could read on his face. "A pot and a kettle."  
"Who…" Amaya though back to the night she dubbed as 'The Incident' before realization sank in. The blue haired girl, the healer. Amaya thought there was something strange in the way he looked at her, but she had been so emotional that it barely registered in her conscious mind.  
"Oh." Was the clever answer she came up with. So she was right all along, they were similar in many ways.  
They stood in complete silence, side by side, their shoulders almost touching, and for the first time Amaya realized that the tension she felt around him wasn't caused by alarm or intimidation, but something entirely different.  
Butterflies. There were butterflies in her stomach.

On Sunday night Kai finally decided that there was only one way to determine the question of her sanity. On her way back from the grocery store with a newly bought pack of cigarettes in her back pocket, she noticed a lonely-looking vending machine. This on its own was nothing unusual as the busy Tokyo streets were littered with them, but his particular machine stood in a small alley between two apartment complexes, barely noticeable and, it seemed, out of order.  
Kai approached it nervously, playing with the lighter in her hand. Pulling a cigarette out of the pack, she toyed with it for a few seconds before tucking it behind her ear. She took a deep breath and stepped closer to the machine, putting her hand on its smooth steel surface. At first nothing happened, but instead of removing her hand, Kai concentrated o it, trying to put some intention behind the gesture. A few more seconds passed uneventfully and when Kai was about to step away, relieved but somewhat frustrated, the machine suddenly came to life and with the usual clatter dispensed a cherry flavored soda.  
Kai stood dumbfounded before bending down to retrieve the beverage. Putting the cigarette between her lips she lit it before opening the can with a soft hiss.  
Before the last of the smoke faded and the empty can rested in a garbage bin, Kai pulled out her cell phone and dialed.  
"Hey, can I come over?"

He had been surprised to see her name come up on the screen of his cell phone. For the last week it seemed as though Kai has dropped off the face of the earth, but he respected her wish and gave her time to think things over.  
The morning after the left Genkai's he went straight to the flower shop to clean up his preparations for a picnic in the greenhouse. He looked at the trash bags and couldn't help but think that if they told her the whole truth…  
He wasn't young, he knew it. Most demons half his age have already taken mates and started a family. He had to abandon that line of thought though, before it would lead him to some stupid decision.  
But when he opened his front door to see her standing there, playing with the hem of her shirt, not thinking about it turned out to be harder than he expected. "Come in." he gestured towards the living room, stepping aside to let her pass.  
Kai stopped halfway in and turned to look at him. "I want to know more…" she grabbed the sleeve of his shirt, pulling him closer. "I want to know more about you, Kurama." She breathed out his name and he thought that he had never been this happy to hear it.  
Kurama couldn't help the shiver that ran down his body when she pulled his face down to level with hers and kissed her back passionately.

* * *

Took me long enough huh?

xs&os


	30. Chapter 30

Chapter 30

This was not what she had planned when she came to see him, Kai thought when she landed softly on Kurama's bed.

Her hands ran up and down his bare arms that like the rest of his body were chiseled to perfection. Her attention span grew shorter as his lips devoured her neck, sucking on her pulse ever so softly, making a shudder run all the way down to her toes.

"Kai…" he whispered with a voice thick with desire before leveling his face with hers. She knew what he was asking, and somewhere in the back of her mind she knew that perhaps she should stop this while she could, but there wasn't a single bone in her body that could resist his smoldering gaze.

"I want this." She whispered, cupping his cheek in her hand. "I want you Kurama." Pulling him down for another kiss she tried to convey to him how safe she felt in his arms. Sure, she didn't plan for this to happen, but she certainly wanted it to.

The desire in her voice left him momentarily breathless, but his hands, unlike his brain, seemed to work faster, finding the hem of her shirt and almost tearing it off her body in his haste to get it out of the way. She wasn't wearing a bra and Kurama groaned, feeling his pants become significantly tighter.

While his fingers worked on the button of her jeans Kai wished there was a more graceful way to remove them that didn't require wiggling. Kurama didn't seem to mind it though, as he pulled them off, his fingers slightly grazing her toned legs.

She invaded all his senses as he drank in the sight of her sprawled on his dark blue sheets, clad only in her ridiculously pink Hello Kitty underwear. Her taste reminded him of wild honey and he couldn't help but wonder if all of her tasted as sweet.

Bowing his head to her collar bone he inhaled, admitting her scent into his memory. His sensitive ears picked up every gasp and moan as his hands greedily explored her soft, inviting skin. The smell of her arousal hit him in steady waves, making his control slip a little more with every second.

With his lips attached to her breast on one of his hands on the other, Kai could only whimper in pleasure. Her hands ran over his shoulders, grabbed his hair and left red marks on the skin of his arms. She melted against his toned chest when one sneaky finger, goddamned thief with his butterfly touch, slipped past the elastic band of the underwear, testing the heat. His fingers were rougher than she thought they would be, almost everything about him was rougher, more dangerous, and so very different from who she thought him to be at first.

Kurama couldn't help but smirk as he watched Kai squirm under his touch as he bit and licked his way down her stomach. He barely paid attention to her fingers working on his belt until he felt them graze his hip bones and moving dangerously close to his throbbing erection.

Using the second before he fully regained his composure, Kai flipped them over and was now straddling him with a positively wicked smile on her face. Kurama stared in shock as she lowered herself to bite playfully on his neck, earning a growl that rumbled deep in his chest as he grabbed her thighs.

"Fuck." He hissed when she moved her hips in a teasing circle, tightening his grip.

"We'll get there." She whispered seductively, groaning when he thrust upward.

Hooking his fingers in her panties he considered for a second tearing them off her as his body was sending him urgent signals. It was when Kai bowed down to kiss him again, her core rubbing against him with a delicious heat, that he lost his patience, flipping them over so he was once again on top. His pants and boxers were gone in a swift movement, followed by her underwear.

The lust in his eyes paralyzed her, making her forget how to breathe, a prisoner in their golden depths.

"Your eyes." She whispered, her mouth drying up. He was a demon, the thought flashed momentarily through her mind. But apparently, so was she. Did her eyes change their color too?

"Kai." Kurama groaned. There were no barriers between their bodies now and he was almost in pain from wanting to bury himself in her, but the hesitation in her voice brought him back from his daze. Was she still afraid of him?

"I'm not afraid of you." She said after some thought, missing the look of surprise on his face. She wasn't lying. She wasn't afraid of him and somehow she felt even closer to him now that she knew. Biting her lip Kai looked away from the promise in his eyes, knowing it would be too much to resist. "I'm sorry." She whispered in a small voice, her whole body tensing and shrinking away from his.

Kurama sighed, resisting the urge to smack himself. "It's okay." He said, rolling away to lie beside her. "Kai, look at me." He commanded softly when she turned her face away from him again.

Kai hesitated before turning to look at him. Her relationship with Tatsuya has taught her that men rarely took this sort of rejection kindly.

Kurama furrowed his brows at her distressed expression. What did she think his reaction would be? He raised his hand slowly, as if not to scare her, and pushed the hair out of her face. "It's okay. I promise." He spoke softly. "We will never do anything you're not ready for." He gave her a chaste kiss on the lips before standing up with a sheepish smile on his lips. "I'm going to take a shower."

After he left the room Kai buried her face in his pillows, shakily taking in his scent. She never felt so stupid before.

"Brother."

Makoto could only open his eyes to a crack, the fever that attacked him in the last week has left him too weak to function. Still through the fatigue he recognized the voice of his younger brother who sat by his futon instead of the young healer who occupied it for the last month.

"No, don't try to speak." Jiro said, watching him open his mouth with a helpless look in his gray eyes. "Here, drink this." He brought a cup to Makoto's lips, supporting his head as he swallowed with great difficulty. Jiro felt something akin to regret as he watched his brother fall back onto his pillows, his breathing shallow and his pulse a dull thump in his weakened body.

The poison worked quickly, no doubt, he thought. No one would ever suspect that his brother died of an unnatural cause, sick as he's been for the last two years.

"Oyasumi, Onii-san." Jiro Whispered as the light faded from Makoto's eyes.

Kumiko stared out of the window of Jiro's bedroom with a solemn expression. She knew Makoto would be dead in a matter of minutes. He deserved it, she thought.

Still, she couldn't think of his demise without some sadness. She loved him once, before he turned his back on her, before the human whore gave birth to his bastard, before he mated her fool if a cousin, Kiko. Kumiko stroked her abdomen absentmindedly. If her son had lived…

"Mistress, it is done." The shadow demon announced calmly before melting away.

Kumiko exhaled a sigh once she was alone again. Her revenge will soon be complete, but it didn't bring her as much comfort as she thought it would.

When he stepped out of the shower Kurama didn't find Kai in his room. His sensitive nose picked up the scent of freshly brewed coffee and cigarette smoke from his kitchen. He came in to find Kai resting on the windowsill, a mug next to her and a cigarette in her hand as she blankly stared out of the open window.

"Those things are going to kill you, you know." He said with some amusement.

Kai wasn't surprised to see him there when she turned her gaze, she heard the water stop running a few minutes ago and she somehow just felt him there. But the sight of his chiseled chest surprised her and made her blush.

"We all have to die from something." She said, licking her lips as she followed a single drop of water venture from his long, flame colored hair down his chest.

"I'm sorry about before." She finally said. Still avoiding his now green eyes.

"You have nothing to be sorry about." Kurama assured her while moving closer so he could put his hand on the back of her neck, massaging it lightly. "We'll move at your pace."

"If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were from another century." She teased, leaning into his touch.

A sinister smirk appeared on his lips as he moved closer to her ear. "I promise you that when you're ready, I will not let you leave my room for a week."

"Takeo."

The black haired young man raised his head at the sound of the voice. Looking away from the scrolls laid out in front of him he saw his uncle standing in the far end of his room, looking exceptionally grim.

"Uncle? What's wrong?" He asked, putting his quill away to give the man his full attention.

"Your father…" Jiro breathed out. "He's gone Takeo. I'm sorry." He bowed his head lightly, down casting his eyes.

Takeo was speechless, staring at a spot on the wall behind Jiro. He didn't know how to react, or if there was anything he was supposed to say.

His father was dead. The thought hovered over his head like a menacing cloud, heavy with rain and lightning.

Takeo stood up slowly, trying to meet his uncle's eyes. "Take me to him." He said, trying to keep his voice even.

"Perhaps it would be better if…" Jiro began, stammering with grief.

"No. I want to see him."

His father looked like a statue on his pure white futon. Takeo always thought the dead were meant to look as if they were submerged in eternal sleep, finally laying aside the burdens of this world so they could rest. But Makoto's body seemed as pale and cold as marble. Dressed in clean white robes he could very well be an ice statue, ready to melt at the first sight of the sun.

"Would you like me to leave?" Jiro asked humble, putting his hand on the youth's shoulder. Already he was tall as a weed, Jiro though.

"Please." Takeo said, not taking his eyes off his father. He hasn't cried for many years and feeling he was about to, he didn't want any witnesses.

He felt lost, as if the walls of the room disappeared and he was floating in empty space. He touched Makoto's cold hand, rough and calloused from years and years of wielding a sword and remembered how this hand used to rest on his head affectionately when he was a child. He felt that there was much left unsaid, and searched for the words within himself but could not find them.

"Master." A mousy faced maid stammered from the doorway, holding an ornate wooden box in her hands. "I-I found this when I was cleaning after…"

Takeo sighed impatiently, wiping a stray tear that streaked his cheek before facing her. Why would she choose to disturb him at this time?

"I think you should look at this." She laid the box gently in his waiting hands. "Alone." She added with a meaningful look before hurrying out of the room as quietly as she came.

Takeo stared at the empty doorway with confusion before looking down at the intricate design on the lid, stroking it softly with his slender fingers.

Perhaps it was his father's will, he asked himself before removing the lid. The first thing that greeted him was a pair of gray eyes identical to his. It was a picture of a girl, grinning widely with her arm slung around Amaya's shoulders. They were standing in front of a large building, both dressed in dark colored skirts with bowties of the same material tied carelessly under the collars of their white button-down shirts.

"What is this?" he asked quietly, but there was no one in the room beside the body of his father who could answer that question for him.

* * *

I know I have been gone for ages, and for any of you who read this story, I'm sorry!

This is my first attempt at writing something sexy so go easy on me!

_x&o_


	31. Chapter 31

Chapter 31

Kai frowned when she walked into the kitchen, watching her mother chat away on the phone and doodling mindlessly in her wedding notebook.

"Aine-chan you're an angel!" Sachiko giggled, not noticing, or maybe just ignoring the way Kai rolled her eyes at the mention of her name. "I will call Isao right away and tell him. Alright, see you soon."

Kai took a seat across the table and stared at her mother as she hummed to herself, the phone glued to her hand while she waited for her fiancé to pick up.

"Good morning darling." Sachiko cooed, her smile widening at the sound of his voice."Aine-chan spoke with the priest and it's all settled," she paused dramatically. "We're getting married tomorrow!" she squealed.

Kai's eyes flew wide open and she choked slightly on her coffee, much to Sachiko's amusement.

"It's wonderful to see you out of your room." She beamed at her daughter, whose mouth hung open in a very un-lady like fashion. "Aine will be here soon and we will need your help calling everyone."

"Wait, mama, what?" Kai almost yelled, felling as though her mother told her that tiny gnomes lived inside the walls of their apartment. "You're what?"

"Well, I couldn't wait any longer, so I asked Aine to talk to the minister and see if we could push up the wedding a little bit, and tomorrow is the only day he has open for the next few months…" Sachiko trailed off, leaving Kai to figure out the rest herself.

"But that's, tomorrow!" Kai exclaimed, following Sachiko out of the Kitchen and into her room.

"I know silly!" Sachiko waves her hand, her engagement ring catching the light. "Go get dressed, we have a very busy day ahead of us." She said before disappearing into her bathroom.

"They're what?" Shizuru yelled, immediately regretting it when the women in the waiting room glared at her for the outburst.

"Yeah, that's what I said." Kai sighed, flipping through her mother's address book. "I think Aine is drugging her." She frowned, only half joking. Her mother was always somewhat ditzy, but lately she's been slowly crossing the line to a moonstruck teenager, making Kai wonder if she was having a midlife crisis.

"That bitch. I wouldn't be surprised." Shizuru agreed, walking into the storage room to avoid the angry looks her boss was sending her.

"I'm just worried that she's rushing into this without thinking."

Shizuru sighed and leaned against one of the shelves. "I know, but it's not your job to worry about that. She's the grown up, not you."

"Yeah, I know." Kai focused her eyes on the coffee maker and tried to turn it on with her eyes.

"Well, I'll come by after work and help you. Stay cool kiddo."

"Yeah, bye Shizu." Kai answered distractedly, her focus still on the lifeless machine. Finally there was a soft click and the machine sprang to life, much to her satisfaction.

"Takeo-nii!"

He turned around with a cringe, his plan was to leave quietly and he hoped that no one would notice his disappearance until after he reached the Ningenkai.

"Where are you going?" His younger cousin Umeko asked, leaning against the large wooden gate.

"I have to find answers Umeko." He said, shifting his weight from one foot to the other.

"And who's going to give them to you?" she asked casually, cocking her eyebrow.

Takeo shrugged, fixing his grip on the bag slung over his shoulder. "Amaya, maybe," he said, looking away "and there's a woman, Genkai, she knew father. She was the reason he wont to the Ningenkai in the first place, to train with her."

"Oh." Umeko pushed away from the gate and closed the distance between them in a few strides. "Good luck." She whispered softly into his shoulder.

Takeo hugged his cousin back tightly, lifting her off the ground.

"Thank you." He smiled gently as he pulled away from the hug. "I will come back soon, I promise."

Umeko nodded solemnly, crossing her arms over her chest as she watched Takeo take off in a run and disappear between the trees. "Be careful." She whispered, knowing he couldn't hear her. "This house needs you."

"Get rid of him." Kumiko commanded as she watched Makoto's son run off. "I want him and the girl dead." She hissed.

"Yes mistress." A voice replied.

"You," she turned her head slightly to the right, "Bring me the healer."

"Yes." A second voice responded.

Kumiko smirked as she surveyed the Toranaga mansion from a distance, licking her lips hungrily "Finally."

Amaya's eyes fluttered open and she groaned in protest to the bright morning light beaming through her half open blinds. Stealing a quick glance at the clock on her nightstand she mumbled an incoherent profanity and turned over to bury her face in a muscular shoulder, smirking at the hands that circled her waist possessively in response.

"Good morning." She breathed out, giggling as one calloused hand traveled lower to massage her bare thigh. She couldn't stop the moan that escaped her as a pair of hot lips found her pulse. One of her hands shot up to tug on tousled raven hair and pull his face to hers in a bruising kiss.

"Someone's feeling frisky." She teased as the pulled apart for much needed air. Her hand left his hair to caress his growing hardness over the sheet that covered their naked bodies. Hiei growled dangerously before flipping them over to rest himself between her legs while his hands pulled her hips into his.

His lips sent shivers on excitement down her spine, tying a knot in her stomach. She groaned as he grazed her thighs with his fingernails. "Tease," She growled, thrusting her hips sharply as she tried to change their position.

Hiei chuckled deep in his throat, letting his weight pin her to the bed while his hands drew lazy circles on her sensitive skin. "I didn't hear you complain last night." He countered.

"That doesn't count." She whined, grinding against him desperately. Delicious heat was pooling between her thighs and the lust in her honey colored eyes mirrored in his crimson ones.

Hiei flipped them over once more, finally letting Amaya have her way. The sheet dropped to reveal her round breasts to his hungry gaze and he sat up, throwing the useless fabric away from the bed. His hands roamed free, repeating last night's route slowly, savoring the low moan that he earned when they found their way between their bodies. He dragged a digit up her slick folds, guiding it to the sensitive bundle of nerves that made her purr in ecstasy.

Amaya was seeing lights as he teased her with his hand. Flashbacks of his tongue performing the same sweet torture just a few hours before made her push into his waiting hand, begging for more.

Hiei could take a hint, but he could afford to be patient. "Relax, we're not going anywhere." He promised, making Amaya cry out when he finally pushed two fingers into her in one fluid motion while his thumb continued to move in agonizingly slow circles.

"Hiei!" she cried out his name as fireworks went off in her body. The feeling of her walls clenching around his fingers made him work faster.

"Scream for me." He growled in her ear before lowering his head to her breast, drawing a hardened nipple into his mouth. Amaya complied and let the orgasm crash over her in unrelenting waves.

She watched as he raised the glistening fingers to his mouth and licked them clean, unable to tear herself away from the sight that made her forget why she hated him in the first place. Slowly she raised her body to align with him, all the while looking him straight in the eyes.

Hiei had to resist his every instinct telling him to mark her as his own right then and there. Instead he had to satisfy himself with softly kissing his way up from her breasts to her mouth, drinking in her scent.

Later he would think that taking a mate from the Toranaga clan would satisfy Mukuro to no end.

* * *

In case you were wondering, I haven't lost interest in this story. I just don't know if I can tell it properly. There were so many things that I wanted to tell through it, but many of them got lost along the way and if I tried, this would turn into a monster in length. Nonetheless, I will try to finish it for those of you curious enough to see what happens next, but please be patient with me.

xs&os


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